Fire and Wind: The Story of Osean Paratroopers
by BFCIV
Summary: Set in the AC5 universe, this story follows the exploits of a squad in the Osean 77th Airborne Division aka The Flamin' Angels, in Yuktobania.
1. Chapter 1: Jumpers

**Chapter 1**

**Jumpers**

They were all kids, raised on video games and music television. As far as they were concerned war was just some television show to entertain and excite them. War was actually cool to some of them. Young and foolish they were, not yet tainted by the sins of combat. But as time passed, lives and innocence were lost.

Osean troops were young and eager to begin combat. Commanders managed to get their troops disciplined. But some of them doubted that these so-called kids were ready for the real thing. Sure, they had fired M-16s, jumped out of the planes and completed a lifetime's supply of push-ups. Yet none of them had ever been in a war. Commanders constantly reminded these boys, that training and war were two different things. Unfortunately, most of them didn't listen. They believed that they could fight the Yuketobanians with their eyes closed often announced in a loud boisterous fashion. Almost all of them believed they were men ready to jump out of C-17s behind enemy lines. What they didn't know was that they would soon be jumping into an area surrounded by Yuke marines, hardened by border skirmishes with the Belkans. A lot of men would die and a few would become heroes, in every sense of the word.

Morning, is a time that people should cherish, a moment to enjoy the beautiful sunrises and cool summer air. Unfortunately, the many young men of Echo Company, 1st Squad had no time to enjoy these simple pleasures. At the ungodly hour of four in the morning, the Echo boys, rose from their slumber and proceeded to change into their jump equipment. Breakfast consisted of the MRE style scrambled eggs and bacon. Most almost spit up as they swallowed the yellowish mixture, which tasted more like gooey plastic. Life as a paratrooper was hard.

The boys of Echo were a young bunch. The average age range ran from 18 to 22, guided by a few seasoned combat veterans. A lot of the paratroopers came straight from jump school, hoping to become part of the most elite airborne division in Osea, the Flamin' Angels. The Osean Army's 77th Airborne Division, the Flamin' Angels, prided itself on being a fraternity of elite paratroopers. The 77th jumped in time and time again all the way to Belka as well as Erusia. They were a unit that believed that no Flamin' Angel was to be left behind. That brotherhood had never been broken and every paratrooper took an oath to defend his brother.

As the sun rose, hundreds of troops walked out to the tarmac of MacKenzie Air Force Base. The glow of the morning sun reflected off the steel of the waiting C-17s. It was a beautiful sight to behold, causing some of the young troops to think they were still dreaming. Sleep just hadn't left some of them yet.

Conversation perked up last night during the briefing. Yuketobania was the last country they expected to jump into. Even though most of the soldiers were three year olds during the '95 War, they still remembered from their history classes that Yuketobania and Osea were allies. Fighting the Yuketobanians was just unconceivable. But after hearing about the ruthless attacks on Sand Island, which resulted in the loss of sixteen pilots and fifty marines, the troopers soon accepted the mission at hand, which was to secure and defend an abandoned farm that would later be used as a base for Osean Apaches.

If anyone could have been considered Captain Osea, it would have been Sergeant George Athos. He was the type that lived, breathed, and slept Army. No one under his command was undisciplined and he made sure of it. Even though Athos was just 29, he had seen combat in skirmishes along the Belka-Osea border. Athos had proven himself as a tenacious and assertive leader in those few skirmishes, working his way up to the fireteam leader of 1st Squad.

Athos was a perfectionist, considering his mission a failure if he suffered casualties. He saw men die before, just not under his command. Some of them were friends and others were commanders. Death was a sad reality of war, but Athos was determine to defeat that reality and protect the men he led, all seven of them.

While most other squads of Echo Company were still groggy, the men of 1st Squad were wide-awake, mainly due to Athos' booming voice.

"GENTLEMEN! HOW THE HELL ARE YA TODAY?" Athos yelled with a wide grin.

"PRETTY DAMN GOOD SIR!" Athos' troopers replied loudly, knowing he wouldn't want any less.

A lot of other soldiers looked in their direction.

"Good to see you all are awake. Today, gentlemen, is jump day. Now, usually I would have yelled at you more during training. But this is the real thing. If you get shot, you will bleed, if you get captured you will be interrogated. I believe there is no need for me to explain the risks involved. You all accepted them when you signed up, so don't waste time writing letters back to your folks." Athos explained.

The 1st Squaders listened intently. As much as they hated getting up at four in the morning, they knew Athos was here to protect them. That realization provided some solace, but the eventual inevitability of combat still scared most of them. For the first time they were actually scared. But no one wanted to admit it. Men weren't supposed to be scared and they believed they were men.

Athos looked at his men for a brief moment. He could tell they were nervous. In fact, he ventured to say that some of them were scared. But that was to be expected. If they weren't scared then that could mean two things. They were either crazy or lying their asses off. The last time Athos checked, his men weren't crazy. Scared these men were, but Athos had faith that his men would saddle up for the journey anyway.

"Didn't mean to scare you with that, but you will see scarier things when we cross the border. Anyway, I believe I should go over our mission one more time, because I caught some of you sleeping last night. Our flight will be six hours and we are due to jump in to a, supposedly, lightly defended area of Yuketobania at around sunrise, their time. Yes gentlemen, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west."

A couple of soldiers laughed.

"We'll be jumping near the town of Ardovka to secure an area that will eventually be used for our Apache attack helicopters. Don't know if I pronounced it right, but I don't speak Yuke too well. This town is lightly defended, as our intel points out and is thirty miles into Yuketobanian territory. Now our boys have given us air superiority over this region of the country, so we won't have to worry about getting shot down. But be warned gentlemen, even though our DZ is said to be cool, be ready for a fight. I don't plan on losing any men on the first day."

"We will be on our own for a good twelve hours when we hit the ground. This means we could be in for a long ass day when we arrive. But we are the most elite paratrooper division in the Army. We can defend our selves against armor and troops if we need to. I expect each and every one of you to be on your A-game today. You have your training and you have each other. We're brothers out there remember that."

"Now, I'm not going to say anymore. You know what you have to do. In case we get separated. Don't use your radios because the Yukes may be listening. I know that sounds harsh but we can't compromise the rest of the mission. But if you jump when you're told, you won't end up in that contradiction. Hoo oh!"

"Hoo oh sir!"

"Good."

The rear cargo ramps of the C-17s opened up, showing their brightly lit cabins. Jumpmasters yelled out names of squads getting troops ready for their mission. Looking back was bad luck according to Athos. His men considered it bad luck as well. Steadily they walked to the aircraft, feeling quite strange. This was their first combat mission and they preferred to keep quiet, not wanting to scare themselves or their fellow soldiers. Silence was one way of coping with fear, a coping mechanism that most of Athos' men preferred.

Once inside the aircraft, the jumpmasters started checking the equipment one last time. They tugged on the bags of the soldiers making sure they were tightly secured to their bodies. Satisfied they began moving in more soldiers until the C-17 reached full capacity.

"A OKAY!" The jumpmaster yelled.

"A OKAY!" The paratroopers yelled back in descending order.

With that said the rear cargo doors began to close. The boys of Echo, more exclusively 1st Squad wouldn't see their home for a long, long time.


	2. Chapter 2: Hard Landings

**Chapter 2**

**Hard Landings**

Jogging early in the morning gave him peace and quiet. It was the only time of the day when he could retreat to his little world before heading off to the hustle and bustle of work. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh air of the summer morning. Coming upon a hill, the jogger stopped to admire the view of the valley below. The view was absolutely amazing, an endless expanse of green and yellow pastures, highlighted by the yellow glow of sunlight. It felt like he was on top of the world, quite literally from his vantage point high above the valley floor.

A distant screech caught the jogger's attention. _A rooster cooing maybe_, the jogger thought. He knew there were many farms dotting the Yuktobanina landscape, so it wouldn't be odd to think so. Maybe the neighborhood was starting to get out of their beds. Ignoring the noise, the jogger continued along the dirt path, through the trees.

Then the screech caught his attention again, louder this time.

"An eagle, I'm sure of it." The jogger said to himself.

But this noise was strange. It continued to grow louder and louder to the point the jogger had to cover his ears. Suddenly about seventy feet above the trees, two massive steel birds hurtled overhead. A quick violent gust knocked the jogger to his feet. He stared up into the sky, unable to believe what he just saw.

Fortunately, the jogger managed to get up and dust himself off. He looked in the distance to see two giant aircraft flying into the sun.

"Eagles. Yeah, right."

---

The Flamin' Angels had no idea just how low they were flying, after all, the C-17 had no windows. But that was a good thing. If they caught of glimpse of the ground rushing below, some of them would have needed a change of underwear.

Athos checked his watch. Five forty-five, Yuktobanian time. He made sure his watch and the watches of his men were properly synchronized. Nothing would bug him more than not knowing what time it was. Besides, he had a mission to concentrate on. Trivial worries such as the time just couldn't distract him.

Sitting down was really uncomfortable, but it was something he was used to. Seasoned paratroopers didn't complain about their a$$es going numb from long flights. To his left and right, 102 Osean paratroopers sat next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, cramped together in four separate rows. In their green camouflage they looked more like a can of tightly packed green sardines. Some were sleeping still while others conversed and put on their face paint. Weighted down in seventy-five pounds of equipment, the paratroopers soon realized that having to get up to use the bathroom would be a war all its own.

Athos' first squadders were more than eager to get up and stretch their legs. Being inside a cramped aircraft for six hours was not their idea of fun.

"Y'know those Army of One commercials never mentioned anything about this." Corporal Alan Wilkes groaned.

"About what?" Corporal Pete Jenkins replied.

"Gee I don't know?" Wilkes asked sarcastically.

"Maybe its my sore a$$, maybe it's the fact I have to piss really bad, or maybe it's the numb leg."

"That's too bad. My ass isn't sore." Jenkins said in his calm southern drawl.

"Well I am and that makes me very upset."

"You're always very upset."

Wilkes and Jenkins talked way too much, much to Athos' discontent. The two of them met in jump school, initially not liking each other. But when instructors caught the two of them fighting and reprimanded them with two hundred push-ups on a dark rainy night, their quarrelling soon came to end. From that point on the two were simply rivals. Eventually they became friends but they were still rivals nonetheless. They always found something to argue about.

"Face paint should be like artwork. Unique to your personality." Private Jeff Andersen said putting on his face paint.

"What the hell are you talking about Jeff?" Private Craig James asked.

"You think those Yukes are gonna take time to admire your unique personality. I mean…"

Andersen ignored his comrade, "How do I look?"

"Like a damn clown." James hissed.

"Thank you. That's what I was aiming for."

"You know what Jeff. You stay away from me out there."

Whereas James was sane, Andersen was insane. Andersen enjoyed dangerous things and was actually excited when he heard he was jumping into Yuktobania. Even in training his instructors were amazed at how crazy he could be. Nothing could scare him. He really liked getting the pants scared off of him. If anyone could actually take fear and enjoy it, it was Andersen.

James was however much more thoughtful about his life. He didn't see the army as fun. According to him the Army was simply a means of paying for college. Four years of service translated into four years of education. But he had to ask himself why he joined the paratroopers. Yes, the Army was a job, but James had to admit. The thought of adventure appealed to him somewhat.

_Video games were nothing like this_, Private Kaleb Blake thought nervously. Training was fun but this wasn't. Unable to go back home, having to freefall from a moving aircraft, and being cramped up, worried Blake. The final jump in jump school was the most terrifying experience of his life. Even though he survived and earned his jump wings, he never got over his fear of flying. Well, maybe it really wasn't just a fear of flying. Blake was a nervous wreck since birth. His squad mates had taken the liberty of scaring him several times. To them, Blake's nervousness was amusing. But however nervous Blake was, he still managed to compose himself.

"The jump will only be five minutes. The jump will only be five minutes. The jump will only be five minutes." Blake repeated over and over.

"Check out Blake." Corporal Justin Myers.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say he was going to sh!t himself." Corporal Danny Addison joked.

"Well if you ask me I'm just ready to get this done and over with. Besides I gotta get home to my girl y'know." Myers complained.

"Is this same girl with the hair above her lip?" Addison asked laughing.

"'Cause that was just nasty."

"Hah. Funny. Shut up!"

Myers swore by God that he was a ladies man. He had relationships with at least fifty different women over the last three years. Myers believed that the strength of a man was measured by many phone numbers he had. But too bad for him, forty-nine of the fifty women he met talked to him for only a week and never called him back. He wasn't too upset though. At least one of the fifty fell in love with him and for the millionth time he swore this was the one.

Addison on the other made it his to duty to make people laugh. Unfortunately, just about anyone could be the brunt of his jokes. No one was safe not even Athos. Addison's humor was absolutely ruthless. To him, nothing was sacred. But despite Addison's cruel humor, they did enjoy the light heartedness every now and then. It was Addison who likely kept the rest of 1st Squad calm in tense situations.

Conversation soon stopped when the jumpmasters stood up. Looking down the aircraft they announced.

"STAND UP!"

Recognizing the order the paratroopers stood up and faced the side doors.

"TWO MINUTES!" The jumpmasters yelled.

"TWO MINUTES!" The paratroopers repeated.

The jumpmasters then moved to open the side doors. The paratroopers then attached hooks to the line above them. When the troopers jumped out the hook would pull out their parachutes as they began their descent to the earth below.

Athos looked out of doorway to see the ground blazing by. The noise of jet engines and rushing air made it impossible for anyone to hear. He briefly looked back just to make sure his squad was prepared to jump. As he looked back his men nodded as a means of saying they were ready.

"HOW CAN YOU TELL IF YOUR PARACHUTE DOESN'T WORK?" Blake asked.

"IF IT DOESN'T OPEN, DUMB A$$." Myers replied.

Blake gulped. He didn't know what he was going to see when he jumped out of the plane. All he hoped for was landing on the ground in one piece.

"JUMPING OUT OF A PLANE FLYING A BIZILLION MILES AN HOUR, IS LIKE, FALLING WITH STYLE." Andersen said.

"YOU EVER THINK ABOUT DYING? I MEAN, REALLY?" James asked sarcastically.

"WELL, HEY IF MY CHUTE DOESN'T OPEN, MIGHT AS WELL MAKE THE MOST OF IT BEFORE I SWAN DIVE INTO THE DIRT."

"Oh God." James whispered as he shook his head.

"THIRTY SECONDS!" The jumpmasters yelled.

"THIRTY SECONDS!" The paratroopers repeated once again.

Looking at his watch Athos began to count down. _Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight_. Athos then turned his attention to the jump light right above the open doorway. The red light would turn to green any moment. Waiting, Athos concentrated on only one thing, jumping out of the airplane, safely.

It turned green. Athos immediately waddled towards the doorway. For a brief moment he felt like a penguin, except this penguin could. A quick jolt and Athos was heading towards the ground. Following his training he grabbed the control lines and looked up relieved to see the open canopy of his T-10C parachute. Looking behind him, he saw other parachutes covering the dawn sky.

Satisfied he looked below him to see an open field rapidly closing towards him. As a matter of habit he opened his canopy to slow his descent. The landing was going to be rough, but not as rough as it could be if he didn't slow down. When he estimated he was about two hundred feet from the ground, he released his equipment, watching it hurtle towards some bushes below.

As the ground got closer Athos began to tuck his knees into his chest dropping his arms to the side. Suddenly, he felt his feet hit ground, prompting him to roll to his side and cross his arms over his chest. Grunting, he felt the ground hit him like a linebacker. The parachute collapsed on him instead of dragging him like the wind sometimes did. It only took Athos a minute to get his bearings. Unhooking his parachute he moved to wrap it up into a tight small pack. He didn't even notice the other paratroopers dropping around him.

After Athos gathered up his parachute and recovered his equipment from the bushes, he looked up into the sky, seeing no more parachutes. The two C-17s were already beginning their flight out of Yuktobania.

"This is it." Athos said to himself.

He was in Yuktobania now. But he didn't take any time to worry. He had a squad to gather up.


	3. Chapter 3: The Barnyard

**Chapter 3**

**The Barnyard**

The boonies couldn't have been a better choice of words used to describe this part of Yuktobania. Endless, open fields, with the occasional forests, stretched as far as the eye could see. But everything was mostly quite bland and uninteresting, everything except for a rotting, brick red barn.

The barn, as most of the paratroopers guessed, was their objective. But since the barn was the only manmade structure in sight, it made sense for the Echo boys to think so.

This red barn sat alone, atop a slight hill. A rusty pick-up truck sat near it, surrounded by a lonely canopy of towering pines. Tall grass surrounded the lonely structure, showing signs of yearly neglect. The barn was obviously a landmark that Yuktobania had forgotten about long ago. Its heyday was obviously over.

"Reminds me of home." Jenkins noted tossing seventy-five pounds of equipment over his back.

"Guess that explains the accent." Addison smiled as he loaded a magazine into his M-4.

"And you just gotta be the one to point that out do ya?" Jenkins frowned.

"Wow. You couldn't be more correct could you? Damn, there really are smart farm boys out there." Addison said sarcastically.

"Addison how many a$$ whippin's will it take to make you shut up."

"I don't know how many licks does it take your mom to..."

Jenkins began to march towards Addison, "That's it. I've had enough of your…"

Wilkes and James quickly moved to restrain a fuming Jenkins. Jenkins gave Addison a cold stare and pointed at him. Addison simply rolled his eyes and lifted his rifle above his shoulder. The two of them would settle their dispute later.

"FIRST SQUAD! TOPSIDE!" A voice called out.

"Boss hog's callin' fellas." Andersen reminded his comrades.

"Oink, oink." Addison added, forcing a laugh from the others.

1st Squad gathered around their leader, anxious to begin their day.

"Good to see all of you so graciously dropped in. Uh, Blake, you alright?"

Blake was bent over puking his guts out. But he managed to give Athos a thumbs-up.

"Okay. Blake, take as much time as you need." Athos said getting a light laugh.

"Anyway gentlemen we've been grouped up. We've been lucky enough to receive the designation of Bull Squad for this one, so thank the nickname gods. As you can see, we landed right on top of our objective. Our objective is that nice looking place upon the that hill."

"No vacancy. That's some sh!t." Addison smirked.

"Yeah, hope I don't step in any." Andersen added.

"Hey, you two got something better to do?" Athos asked.

"Uh. No sir. We were commenting on the beautiful scenery. Sir." Addison grinned.

"Well, since you two enjoy Yuktobania so much, the both of you get point first."

"Son of a b!tch." Andersen groaned under his breath.

"What was that?"

"The sun needs a light switch." Andersen repeated, as the other First Squadders fought to hold back laughter.

"That's what I thought I heard. Now, back to the meeting. We're going to move up this hill, scope out this farm and set up shop. Other squads are beginning to fan out and recon the area. Doesn't look like anyone's here, but that may only last but so long. I am more than certain the Yukes saw our planes hauling it outta here, so we may have some company soon. For now, it is our mission to secure this farm. Follow my lead and don't shoot your own men. Hoo oh?"

"Hoo oh!" Everyone confidently replied.

"Alright then. Let's move out."

First Squad finally got their heads together. They switched off the safeties, tucked the rifle butts into their shoulders, and started following Athos. Immediately, their minds locked on the mission. Talking could wait.

Others squads around them quietly and slowly moved up the hill. Carefully, everyone observed their surroundings, communicating with hand signals. It wasn't in the best interest for these paratroopers to say hello to a Yuke soldier waiting to shoot.

Athos' men moved like they did in training. He didn't need to look back because he trusted them. They made sure every angle was covered as they scanned back and forth with their rifles. Each paratrooper made quiet footsteps hearing only the crunching of dried grass under their feet. Every bush, every blade of grass was watched with careful scrutiny. If anything as small as a bird moved, these men would see it. Fortunately for Athos, training had taken over his squad, not fear. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

Reaching the foot of the hill Athos and seven other squad leaders knelt down on one knee and held up a fist. Acknowledging the order all other soldiers stopped and knelt in their place.

Slowly scanning the horizon, Athos looked for any signs of the enemy. Suddenly, something moved near the barn door. Swiftly, Athos swung his rifle in the general direction of the disturbance. Closing one eye, he bore his sights down the grove of his rifle, ready to shoot. Patiently, he waited for the noisemaker to show itself. He rested his index finger on the trigger, lest a surprise was waiting. But then Athos exhaled and brought down his rifle. Looking at his fireteam leaders he smiled holding up two fingers and moving them up and down. The other fireteam leaders managed slight smiles.

"Good job buddy." Athos whispered.

"Almost shot a damn rabbit."

Satisfied with what they saw, Athos and the other fireteam leaders extended their right arms forward, the signal to move out.

Athos looked back at his squad and pointed to two of his men then the barn

"You four. Secure that barn door." He said quietly.

"Hoo oh." Wilkes, Jenkins, Myers and James whispered.

"Blake, Andersen, and Addison follow me."  
"Move it!" Athos hissed.

Two groups of soldiers scattered in different directions. One led by James, the other led by Athos. James led his team to the barn door, stopping short of the opening. Athos led his team to the corner of the barn. Other squads were surrounding the barn as well. But they all were careful not to shoot each other.

James gave a quick peek into the barn, not seeing anything. He then looked at Myers, on the other side of the barn door opening. Both men nodded, before storming into the dark barn. The four-man team rapidly scanned the area with their rifles. Noticing that they weren't shot, James' team let their rifles hang across their chest. The only sign of life in this barn were two mother hawks carefully guarding their nest, staring at the Osean soldiers.

"Clear here sir." James spoke into his throat microphone.

"Understood. Same here." Athos' replied.

Regrouping outside the soldiers relaxed once again.

"So we shack up here for the night, huh?" Myers asked.

"Guess so. Nice digs." Wilkes said sarcastically.

"What now sir?" Jenkins asked.

"We hold here along with the other squads, and fend off anyone trying to over run us. Once the other's return from their patrols, we rotate, and they guard the joint." Athos said.

"So you want us to post up sir?" James asked.

"Go ahead. I want four, two-man teams. Take a walk around the area, report anything out of the ordinary, then take an observation point overlooking the area. But I don't think we'll miss anything here. We got this hill top just about covered."

"But too bad we don't have much cover sir, except for these skinny pines. Anyone that can shoot can take pot shots at us from up here." Andersen said.

"Just keep your heads down and observe things while prone. Besides this tall grass can hide just about anything. You have your orders gentlemen. LET'S MOVE 'EM OUT!" Athos replied.

"HOO OH!" The soldiers moved out to their respective positions around the hilltop.

Athos and James moved towards a good vantage point observing the way towards Ardovka. Pulling up a pair binoculars Athos could see some rooftops peeking above some other hills dotting the pasture like landscape. The only people moving were a couple of herders gathering cows early in the morning. Yuktobanians weren't all that different from Oseans, Athos could tell. But he really didn't care at the moment. He had enemies to look out for.

"Feeling alright?" Athos asked, his eyes still behind the pair of binoculars.

"I do sir." James replied.

"Said that a bit slowly. You sure?"

"Guess so sir. Just want to hurry up and get this over with. I don't plan on not making it to college if you know what I mean."

Athos put down the binoculars and looked at James.

"Don't expect me to baby ya here, but I will say this. Everyone has each other's backs out here and you know that. As long as you follow my orders, I won't let you down. You just return the favor." Athos explained.

"Hoo oh?"

"Yes sir!" James replied confidently.

"Good. Now use these binoculars and look out for anything strange. Don't plan on another rabbit scaring the hell outta me." Athos replied scanning the horizon with his rifle.


	4. Chapter 4: Foot Patrol

**Chapter 4**

**Foot Patrol**

Echo Company expected to encounter some Yuktobanian troop presence soon after their arrival. But after dropping in four hours ago, not a single Yuktobanian patrol was spotted. That was quite surprising to the paratroopers who were expecting a firefight. But as surprising as it was to not encounter an enemy, the Flamin' Angels weren't complaining.

Those patrols that were sent out earlier were just now returning. All of them fortunately returned, reporting nothing out of the ordinary. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing all their comrades return safely. None of them wanted to hear bad news on the first day of the operation. Besides, no one felt like getting involved in a fight just yet.

Yuktobania wasn't known for hot weather, but today was different. The twenty-mile patrol had made these troops tired, thirsty, and hungry. Their MREs could have been filled with bugs, but these troops didn't care. They just wanted something in their stomachs.

Other troops noticed the strain that the heat had taken on their comrades. But whether they liked it or not, patrols had to continue throughout the day. Without complaint, several other squads from Echo readied their rifles and headed out into the endless plains of the Yuktobanian countryside.

Athos' squad was the first group of soldiers to move out. He made sure all of his men carried at least a gallon of water. Passing out on a simple patrol was unacceptable to him and he wouldn't let it happen.

To beat the heat, the First Squadders traded their helmets for boonie hats. They were sweating just standing still and wanted to keep their heads cool for obvious reasons.

They walked much more relaxed than this morning. Still they kept their eyes open and walked slowly just to make sure they weren't in danger. Conversation was kept to a minimum. Athos didn't feel like any nearby enemies shooting one of his men, all because someone couldn't keep their mouth shut. But some of Athos' men whispered to each other.

"Hey?" Blake hissed.

"Think anyone is watching us?"

"I don't know and don't care. Besides the Sarge told us to keep our mouths shut." James quietly replied.

"I don't like this. Too damn quiet out here. Kinda' spooky." Blake said.

"Don't jinx it you idiot!" Andersen retorted.

"Sorry. Just trying to start conversation."

"Well do us a favor and shut the hell up will ya?" Myers said.

"'Cause I don't like this either."

Athos heard a brief noise and immediately ordered his men to get down. On instinct they dropped to their stomachs and began scanning the horizon for an enemy yet to be seen.

"I hate it when he does that." Wilkes complained.

"You hate everything." Jenkins replied.

"What do you think he saw this time?" Wilkes asked.

"Dunno. Story is he saw a rabbit this morning. Almost shot the damned thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah, mistook it for a Yuke soldier."

"That isn't like him."

Jenkins briefly looked behind him, "I wouldn't worry about that. The only reason he stopped was because he saw movement. All of us would've done the same thing in his situation."

"Guess so."

At the rear of the eight-man patrol Andersen was getting cautious.

"Getting a funny feeling here." Andersen said.

"What? A hard on." Addison cracked.

"No, I only get those thinking about your mom." Andersen joked as he looked around the flat fields.

Addison hesitated not expecting that come back, "Well seriously, what are you thinking about?"

"Feel like something's about to happen here."

Addison was a funny guy, but this time he could sense the caution in his friend's voice. Whatever funny feeling Andersen had, it certainly wasn't sexual.

"Like what?" Addison asked nervously.

"Like someone's hunting us." Andersen quietly replied.

"Say, Blake, why'd you join up?" Myers asked quietly.

"Videogames. You know, kinda motivated me to join up. Wanted to be a hero." Blake replied.

"Those videogames teach you to be scared sh!tless? 'Cause I sure as hell am."

Meanwhile, James and Athos were busy observing some movement.

"Sarge? What's up?" James asked.

Athos pointed towards some moving figures, "You see those gentlemen Corporal?"

"Yeah." James said, quietly shifting his aim to their position.

"Think they're farmers."

"I was thinking along the lines of hunters. Besides check out those rifles."

"FN-FALs. Must be going after some buffalo sir."

"Some big a$$ buffalo at that."

"Dispatch 'em sir?" James asked.

"Nope, there's only eight of 'em. A patrol just like us. Don't wanna give away our position. Could be attached to a whole Yuke battalion for all I know. Don't plan on pissing those kinda numbers off." Athos reasoned.

"I hear ya sir."

"Good. Tell the rest of the squad what we saw and tell them to stay down and hold fire. We're gonna hide this one out."

James turned around on his belly.

"Hey!" He whispered loudly to the others.

Getting their attention, James pointed to his eyes and pointed just beyond the horizon and held a circle up to his forehead. He then made a slashing motion across his neck and shook his head left to right.

"What's James saying?" Myers asked.

"That there's a patrol up ahead. Wants us to stay down and hold our fire." Jenkins replied.

"Sh!t. We got Yukes?" Andersen asked excitedly.

"Yes. Now will you shut the hell up? Don't want to start this war off earlier than we need to." Jenkins nearly yelled.

"So the Sarge just wants us to stay put while those boys take their sweet ole time?" Wilkes asked.

"Yeah. So what?" Jenkins asked angrily.

"So what? We can nail those punks from right here." Wilkes confidently replied.

"And your point is?"

"Why aren't we shooting?"

"Because the Sarge probably doesn't want to be the idiot that gets a whole Osean company wiped out all because he wanted to kill somebody."

"Well that's just great. Sitting and waiting."

"Why are you so damn anxious? Got a hot date?"

"No. But it sure wouldn't hurt to be with a hot chick right about now."

Athos and his squad waited in the tall grass for about fifteen minutes. The suspense made it feel more like an hour but Athos wasn't taking any chances, considering he had men to lead. During the wait, some of the First Squadders grew restless, but fortunately, they heeded to their commander's orders. That was all Athos asked for to allow his men to live another day.


	5. Chapter 5: Long Night

**Chapter 5**

**Long Night**

Work went into the early evening. Crickets chirped reminding everyone of the impending night ahead. Rest was not on the day planner. Everyone was told be on their toes. Those who were fatigued resorted to chewing grinded coffee straight from the bag. As nasty as the taste was, it helped some of them keep awake for the long night up ahead. No one wanted to be the one responsible for having a Yuktobanian patrol with rocket launchers sneak up on them. Early evening was the perfect time for a sneak attack to happen. Sleeping on the job just wasn't an option.

A beautiful orange and purple sky was offset by a complement of ominous dark black clouds. The men of Echo weren't superstitious but the tension in the air just couldn't be ignored. Around the clock flights of C-17s carrying Apache helicopters, their crews, ammunition and maintenance were due to arrive at any moment. They would be making a risky landing on a flat plain near the hilltop. The massive cargo planes were made to land just about anywhere but things could still go wrong.

Even though the sun was still out the landscape was quite dark. Soldiers donned their night vision goggles and waited patiently for their comrades to arrive.

Echo Company fanned out in a wide circle covering the landing area. No Yuktobanian soldier would be getting through this time. Strobes visible only with night vision goggles designated the grassy runway. It would be unbelievable to see a cargo aircraft land in such a small space, but the Osean 77th was confident in the flying abilities of their Air Force.

The interim allowed for some conversation. This day was far from over and the boys of Echo would pass the time as best they could.

"Half hour from now and we'll have some serious firepower." Andersen said.

"Yeah. I'd sure like to see the look on the Yukes faces when they see cargo planes landing on the grass." Wilkes added.

"Well don't look forward to seeing the Yukes. Our little slumber party may attract the attention of some patrols." Athos warned.

"What can patrols do sir?" Blake asked.

Athos sighed, considering Blake's request for information quite stupid, "They can report to their battalions. And battalions have a lot more troops and firepower. And if you're smart enough you can figure out how bad that is for us." Athos said angrily.

"He just asked a question, Sarge." James reasoned.

"Sorry. I just think doing this is pretty stupid." Athos shook his head.

"Why?" Addison asked.

"For one thing, we're out in the open. Pretty decent targets for a sniper."

"'Could one be out here?" Blake asked nervously.

"You saw those patrols. You wouldn't be an idiot to think so."

"Well, I, for one, am not looking forward to my head getting blown off." Wilkes said.

"Hey, I'd be grateful. At least snipers have the common decency to kill ya instantly." Addison said.

Blake looked at Addison nervously.

"What?" Addison asked him.

"It's the truth. I'd take it or leave it."

"At least no one's gotten shot yet." Athos quipped.

"Guess that means we're pretty blessed." Jenkins chuckled.

"I'd rather say lucky." Andersen said.

"And you'd be the atheist to say that wouldn't you?" James said.

"Religion doesn't work for me. You know that." Andersen said.

Silence. Athos' squad took time to listen to the crickets and feel the cool air. These were the only two things keeping these young paratroopers from going crazy. The suspense was almost unbearable.

"Sarge? Why didn't we engage those patrols again?" Wilkes asked.

"Didn't you listen to what he said this morning?" Jenkins grumbled.

"Yeah... I just couldn't hear him too well."

"Lay off him Jenkins. He's just hard of hearing." Athos said with a smirk.

"Even the Sarge talks about me. I'm hopeless." Wilkes sighed.

Athos laughed, "Didn't mean to upset you Private. To answer your question, we didn't engage those guys because compromising our position was just too risky."

"You gotta understand that the Sarge here didn't plan on a battalion tracking us down." Myers said.

"Exactly." Athos added.

"So, were we the only ones to see a Yuke patrol?" Blake asked.

"Nope, others encountered and avoided them too." Athos explained.

"Well what's next up on the menu, after these planes do their thing?" James asked.

"Dunno." Athos sighed.

"Depends on what the chef has in mind."

"Who, Captain Dunnigan?"

"Yeah." Athos groaned.

"Sounds like you're a big fan of his sir." Andersen said.

"Am I?" Athos replied sarcastically.

"Why sir?" James asked.

Athos contemplated whether or not if should have told his squad why he didn't like the Captain.

"Don't get me started. You know I don't talk about this." Athos returned.

"Aw hell. Fire away Sarge. It ain't like you'll get court marshaled for it."

Looking at his men, Athos reluctantly agreed to spill the beans.

"Okay, okay. But as long as boys keep your mouths shut."

"We won't tell anyone sir."

"Because if you do, I'll have all of you cleaning every latrine between here and Osea with your bare hands." Athos threatened.

"Read ya loud and clear, Sarge." Jenkins smiled.

"Here's why I don't like him. First off the guy thinks he's God's gift to the Army. You boys think I'm Captain Osea get a load of this. Graduated ROTC top of his class, enters as a lieutenant at 25. Now I had the pleasure of serving under him for a good couple of years. Just because he has about ten years over us he thinks he can yank the good ole chain of command anytime he pleases."

"So he's a one of them good ole boys then." Jenkins said.

"That's not it Private. While me and the enlisted were fighting our a$$es off in Belka, the Captain, our beloved CO, was probably curled up in a nice cozy bed with a book about military history. I mean guys died because of his indecisiveness in combat. He's gotten better at it but it sure hasn't raised the dead. Now, what pissed me off and still pisses me off to this day is the fact that he came to command us with absolutely no combat experience and he has the nerve to not listen to our suggestions. We knew what combat was, he didn't. Excuse me for being an a$$hole but a good commander does not ignore the suggestions of his subordinates." Athos vented.

"So we're really screwed then?" Addison guessed.

"With Captain Dunnigan running the show. I'd say, yeah." Athos answered sarcastically.

"Sh!t." Andersen snorted.

"But remember this gentlemen. I'm _your_ commander. The captain over there may be your superior, but I lead you into combat. I give you guys hell, I know that. But my mission above everything else, to get you guys home in one piece." Athos explained.

"I'd guess it be safe to say that you aren't too fond of officers." Myers believed.

Athos looked at the distant C-17 coming in for landing.

"Oh, don't get me wrong guys. I don't hate the officers. In fact some of them are good friends of mine. I just prefer to work for a living."


	6. Chapter 6: Too God To Be True

**Chapter 6**

**Too Good to Be True**

Jumping out of a moving aircraft was a scary experience all its own. But having faith in a giant cargo aircraft landing on grass, safely, was just ridiculous, at least as far as the Osean 77th was concerned. To most of them, this was the type of stuff that happened in an action flick. However, considering the fact that falling out of the sky was an unnatural act, seeing a plane land on grass wouldn't be too over the top.

"Why do they make runways?" Wilkes asked.

"So planes can land on 'em. What else would they be used for genius?" Jenkins replied.

"Well, I was just wondering. If planes are supposed to land on runways, then why are they landing on grass?"

"I don't know." Jenkins replied irritated.

"Maybe the Air Force thought it was a good idea to try something crazy."

"So the Yukes wouldn't expect it. Okay, I can buy that."

"And besides, I think our Air Force thought this through. Those boys dropped us in here safely, so I wouldn't be a fool to trust them."

"Alright. But I swear to God, if one of those planes crashes and burning jet fuel comes flying my way I'm running."

"I think everyone would run. If I were you I just wouldn't think about it. Come to think of it I don't know why you're b!tching about this so much. How do you think the pilots feel?"

Wilkes looked at the C-17 less than a mile away, "I don't like talking about this anymore."

"Good. That means you'll shut up." Jenkins replied.

The lumbering aircraft couldn't have made a better entrance Athos thought. They certainly wouldn't have any problem attracting attention. According to Athos, trying to secretly land six massive C-17s, in the middle of field was likely trying to hide an elephant with a piece of paper. Athos thought this operation was completely stupid. Whoever thought about putting cargo planes down in an enemy country must have thought war was a time to try crazy ideas. But however stupid the operation seemed, Athos still had to follow orders, whether he agreed with them or not.

Against the backdrop of the orange sky, the aircraft looked more like an albatross descending upon a nest. These massive albatross announced their arrival with a roaring screech emanating from massively powerful jet engines. But the softness and innocence of one graceful bird faded when it landed. The steel bird made a transition to a steel beast, looking like a lumbering rhino. It made noise like a rampaging stampede of buffalo.

Echo Company watched with fear, excitement and disbelief. The rumbling C-17 was landing on grass, but didn't seem to be slowing down. Some of the soldiers shifted in their place unsure of whether or not they'd be run over. Trusting in these pilots was becoming harder and harder as the soldiers watched their planes get closer and closer. The only thing the paratroopers could rely on was blind faith, and uncomfortable feeling to some.

Gradually, the fears subsided when the troopers heard the engines whine down. Shortly afterwards, the lumbering rhino came to a halt, only twenty feet from the edge of the circle of troops.

Blake, breathing heavy was the first to speak up, "Scary… But amazing."

"Shoot, I almost ended up sh!tting myself." Andersen said laughing off his fear.

"Well be happy that we're alive and our pilots our alive. A lot worse things could have happened." Athos stated.

"Amen to that, Sarge. Just hope the rest of 'em can do the same thing." Jenkins added.

_So far, so good,_ Athos thought to himself. No one getting shot at the first day and no casualties was more successful that he imagined. He watched several paratroopers run to the back of the aircraft to begin unloading the Apache helicopters. Athos had to admit he was quite surprised that the Air Force managed to pull this off. Deep down inside, he hoped this was the only surprise he would have.

From three miles away, two observers were watching the whole operation unfold. How foolish it was for the Oseans to try an operation such as this. But both men had to admit, it was quite daring nonetheless.

"I gotta admit John. Landing on grass, those Osean pilots got balls." The Yuktobanian Marine said, behind a pair of binoculars.

"Ricky, you ever stop to think those pilots may be women?" Master Sergeant John Peters asked looking through the scope on his sniper rifle.

"Yeah, so. They still got balls to pull that kind of thing off. I sure as hell can't fly that thing, least of all land it on grass." Sergeant Ricardo Tomas.

"Just keep your eyes open and see what toys our friends are bringing."

Peters was a career soldier, earning quite a reputation among his fellow marines. His exploits were usually expressed in stories that would have younger marines in awe. But he wasn't the type to brag about fighting. War was simply an occupation to him, something evil in every way, but something he had to contend nonetheless. He took no joy in war, for anyone that glorified war was a reluctant warrior. Peters believed in doing his job and doing it right. His enemies were mere targets. Thinking about them as human beings was a distraction. An enemy was simply and obstacle that needed to be eliminated.

He was surprised that he was at war with a former ally. Even though he wasn't a political analyst be any stretch, Peters still believed alliances could change over night. Enemies the Oseans were, but he harbored no hard feelings. All Peters did was follow orders killing his enemies with neither hate nor sorrow.

Peters respected the Oseans mainly because he fought alongside them, part of a coalition against the Belkans in 1995. The Oseans were a formidable opponent and Peters witnessed the tenacity of Osean troops in Belka. They were an enemy not to be underestimated.

As a master sergeant in the Yuktobanian 15th Marines, Peters earned respect quite easily. But it wasn't because of his rank. Instead, it was because of his ability to lead and lead men safely. His men were the cream of the Yuktobanian military. All were veterans of a combat engagement within the last ten years. But they were set apart from the rest of the Yuktobanian Marines.

The 15th Yuktobanian marines were Special Forces, hardened in battle. Unlike Osea, the Yuktobanians didn't have SEALs. It was the Marines that prided itself with having a force of specialized warriors.

Fierce they were, the 15th earned itself respect amongst all branches of the Yuktobanian armed forces. The Marines of the 15th were not identified by a nickname. Their unit was simply known as the 15th. This simplistic moniker highlighted the 15th's relentless and ruthless tactics to accomplish their mission. For the Marines of the 15th, accomplishing the mission was paramount.

Peters' twelve-man squad was spread out in various locations throughout the Yuktobanian countryside. The six, two man teams were observing the movement of the Osean operation from hidden vantage points, a safe distance away from danger. Along with Peters was his trusted Staff Sergeant Ricardo Tomas.

Tomas was an excellent marksman, able to shoot anyone from more than 1000 yards away. He could put a bullet between something as small as a wedding ring. Tomas wasn't married though. His job made that a difficult battle.

His take on life was blunt and to the point. Religion wasn't a part of his life. According to Tomas religion was something that distracted him from killing the enemy. He had seen the horror of war and believed that a God possibly couldn't exist in the world such as the one he lived in.

Tomas would tell people exactly what was on his mind. Sometimes what he said was crass, mean, nice, or the truth. Some of his fellow marines didn't agree with him on religion but they respected his point of view. They liked the fact that no matter how ugly the truth could be, he would always tell it like it was.

In fighting against Belka, Tomas had managed fifteen kills against enemy troops. But he didn't talk about it much. Killing the enemy wasn't something he took a fancy to.

Most people thought that Tomas was a sniper by default. But he was an excellent leader when it came to close quarter's combat. He was equally as good with an MP-5 submachine gun and the standard rifle of all Yuktobanian special forces, the G-36. Peters even believed that Tomas was the most versatile warrior he ever led. Not many men had the qualities of Tomas and Peters was glad to have such a man on his team.

"So that's what they got for Christmas sir." Tomas said.

"An Apache helicopter in the middle of Yuktobania. Pretty damn smart. This would probably be the last place they expected us to find them." Peters replied.

"Well guess that makes us lucky then. Shoot, we could radio artillery support and have steel raining down on these boys."

"Yeah but they got more stuff coming in. Lets see what more presents they open up."

"You think the 6th ID knows about this."

"Not a chance in hell. Those undisciplined, poorly trained troops couldn't find dog sh!t on a white carpet even if they stepped on it." Peters quipped.

"Hmph, well at least they aren't interfering in our operation. Guess I shouldn't have been surprised that they reported nothing this morning. Wonder if the Oseans spotted them."

"Its possible. But I wouldn't worry. We can wreak havoc on their little action movie type of operation by ourselves."

"Aren't those boys part of the Osean 77th. Those guys are elite sir. We saw them fight against the Belkans."

"But they'e all young now. War is a game to them. They have no idea what fear is Tomas. No idea at all."

"Looks like they're sh!t outta luck then, sir."

"Well that's not our problem is it?" Peters said looking at Tomas.

"Not at all."


	7. Chapter 7: Said and Done

**Chapter 7**

**Said and Done**

It shouldn't have been this easy, Athos thought. Seven fully loaded cargo aircraft landing in the middle of a Yuktobanian plain, without attracting attention of the enemy, was an unbelievable feat if not an outright miracle.

Exhausted and fatigued the Flamin' Angels and their new arrivals worked into the early morning. After all the hard work, six AH-64D helicopters with support equipment were unloaded onto the sprawling flat open field. Against the early morning sun the helicopters looked like strange and terrible metal beasts designed to obliterate troops and armored behemoths known as tanks. Silently, they waited to wreak death and destruction upon the land.

More paratroopers were expected to drop in, within the next couple of hours. But the boys of Echo still had to tend to guard duty around the new base, which they affectionately dubbed _the barnyard_, a tribute to the red barn that sat atop the hill. The helicopters and aircraft sat in the Yuktobanian plain like grazing cattle. Echo Company stood lonely, watching and waiting for an enemy, that most guessed, just decided to pack up and leave. But regardless of what the Yuktobanians decided to do, Athos was sure that his First Squadders remained alert.

"All that work to get six lousy helicopters out here." A patrolling Wilkes yawned looking towards the base.

"Six helicopters that can back you're a$$ up when Yukes start swarming around." Jenkins replied rubbing his eyes.

"You think anyone heard those planes last night?"

"Uh… Yeah. My heads still ringing from all that noise."

"Well besides you hearing bells ringing. You think any Yukes saw us?"

"If they did, I didn't see 'em."

"Thank goodness. 'Cause I certainly don't feel like fighting."

"What? You scared or something?"

"I didn't say I was scared. I just said that I don't feel like fighting."

"By fighting, do you mean the war, or just fighting in general? There's a difference y'know."

"If kicking your a$$ qualifies as fighting, then I don't mind. But killing another human being, I'm not so fond of."

"First of all you could never kick my a$$." Jenkins laughed.

"But incase you didn't know, none of us are fond of killing people."

"Then why in the hell did we enlist?"

Jenkins and Wilkes stopped just short of the red barn.

"Listen buddy. I enlisted to defend my country. Isn't that why you joined up?"

"Kinda."

"Hey, c'mon Wilkes. It ain't like we're gonna be mowing down innocent civilians here. If we kill anyone its gonna be a Yuke soldier."

"But those guys could be fathers, brothers, sons, just like us. So what gives us the right to take their lives?"

"No one gave us that right. That's why people don't fight wars everyday. Even though you and me haven't taken anyone's life, I know and you know that we don't look at the enemy like that."

"I know, they're simply obstacles that need to be eliminated." Wilkes quipped.

"And we're told to leave it at that. I mean when guns are blazing and people are getting shot at, you can't humanize the enemy. You kill him so you can live another day. At least that's how I look at it." Jenkins explained.

"Okay man. I understand that just as much as you. It's just… That… Really, I just want to get this whole war done and over with. I don't wanna kill anyone and I don't wanna see any of us get hurt."

"Same here. But how do you think the Sarge would explain this to ya? The killing sucks, yes it does. But if you're not going to fight for your country, then at least fight for the guy beside ya, because when sh!t hits the fan, that's all you got out there."

"Good to know you got my back out there."

"Hey, don't mention it. Now lets continue this patrolling the barnyard for weasels."

"Yessir!" Wilkes replied with a smile and mocking salute.

Wilkes and Jenkins continued along their monotonous patrol. Meanwhile, Myers and Addison were admiring some finer members of the Osean Army.

"Y'know, if we weren't at war right now, I'd get her number." Andersen said looking towards an Osean helicopter pilot.

"One things for sure, I wouldn't mind her using my joystick."

"Hold up Myers. You gotta an old lady back home and if anyone, I'm supposed to be making comments like that."

"Okay, I didn't mean to say that. She's probably a smart, caring… Sexy, woman."

"Now I see why you can't keep a girlfriend." Addison joked.

"What? Can I please admire a beautiful woman?"

"Excuse me, gentlemen. But can you point me to Captain Schneider?" A female voice said.

Both men looked. It was the female helicopter pilot. They gawked for a second at the attractive woman. Though not startlingly beautiful, she was pretty enough to attract the attention of most men, especially Myers and Addison. Her slender body and fine features were hidden underneath her olive green flight suit. But her most surprising feature was her nice full lips.

"Well, are you two just gonna gawk or help me out." She replied with a smile.

Addison was the first to snap out of his fantasizing. His eyes widened upon seeing she was a Lieutenant. Not wanting to get yelled out he made a crisp, sharp salute

"Oh, sorry ma'am we were just admiring the sunrise for a second." Addison quickly apologized.

Addison kicked Myers, who dutifully saluted.

"Sorry ma'am. Yeah, he's over there."

"The captain should be on top of that hill, next to the red barn." Addison directed.

"Thank you, gentlemen." She said with a smile.

"No problem Lieutenant Ortiz." Both men replied in unison.

The helicopter pilot laughed and shook her head.

"Dude, she totally wants me." Addison exclaimed.

"You're wrong there buddy. She's mine." Myers replied bravely.

"Well, hey. At least I didn't forget to salute. While I was being a gentlemen, you were busy staring at her chest." Addison bragged.

"Bullsh!t! Like you weren't?" Myers laughed.

"Umhmm." Someone said.

"Damn. Bosshog's here." Addison said.

"Hey Sarge. We were just assisting the helicopter pilots with directions." Myers tried to explain.

"Nice try you two. But you're fooling no one." Athos said.

"Besides you two wouldn't stand a chance with Ortiz. Enlisted never date officers. You know that."

"Aren't you enlisted sir?" Addison asked trying to be smart.

"Yes I am, Corporal. But in case you didn't know, Ortiz likes guys with brains." Athos smiled.

"Oh great, now we gotta contend with the Sarge." Myers said.

"Yes you do. But for now I got a job for you two. The Captain wants two more men posted up at the barn."

"What? You expect us to do that." Myers said.

"Well Addison certainly can't do it by himself. Get a move on you two. Hoo oh!"

"Hoo oh!" Addison and Myers replied running toward the hill.

"Kids." Athos laughed.

Andersen, Blake, and James were given lookout duty. They were lying in the grass, looking for enemies behind a pair of binoculars. The tall blades of grass rustled as a light breeze blew by from time to time.

"I saw a hawk." Andersen said.

"Really. Let me guess you also saw a fox holding a machine gun and grenades?" James asked angrily.

"No. But thanks for reminding me. I'll be sure to keep a look out for it." Andersen replied sarcastically.

James sighed, "You see anything Blake?"

Blake didn't answer.

"Blake? You see anything?" James asked again.

He looked over at Blake whose face was lying in the dirt. For a moment, James thought the worse. But then he realized Blake had simply fallen asleep.

"The genius fell asleep again." James said.

"Long night huh. Guess you gotta wake him up."

James elbowed his fellow paratrooper in the side. Shortly afterwards, Blake scrambled awake.

"Huh? What?" Blake asked looking around.

"You fell asleep again." James said.

"Now get behind those pair of binoculars and look out for the enemy."

"Oh sorry about that." Blake yawned.

"Won't happen again."

"Yeah right." Andersen whispered.

"Say, James, you think they're waiting for us?"

"Who? The Yukes?" James asked.

"Yeah. 'Cause there's no way our little operation could have gone unnoticed last night."

"It's possible, but they obviously didn't show themselves last night."

"Scares the hell outta me." Blake said.

"Just the fact that our enemy could be hiding in the shadows spooks me."

"Me too." Andersen said quietly.

"C'mon guys it isn't like the Yukes are ghosts, right?" James countered nervously.

"But ghosts just scare the sh!t outta ya. They don't kill you." Blake replied.

"Unless you're an old man. Heart attacks." Andersen joked.

"Let's just stop talking about the enemy. I can't concentrate." James said.

"Good idea." Andersen quickly replied.

"Don't hear me complaining." Blake added.

With that said, the three paratroopers kept on the look out for an enemy they couldn't see. They were worried and it was quite obvious in their conversation. To some, the peace felt like the ominous calm before the storm. Only time would tell when that storm would arrive, a portentous time that no one was looking forward to.


	8. Chapter 8: Pray for Peace, Train for War

**Chapter 8**

**Pray for Peace, Train for War**

Pray for peace, train for war repeated in his mind over and over again. It was a saying he knew all too well. But at some point in his past he had yet to know what praying for peace, truly meant. In, time, Athos believed his men would come to understand that adage as well. He just hoped they wouldn't have to find out what that meant the same way he did.

Athos always heard his commanders say the thoughtful phrase. But he didn't fully grasp the meaning of the adage until he tasted the bitter spoils of war. This first time he saw someone die, his whole look at the world change. War wasn't fun. It was hell.

It happened seven years ago on a cold wintry day in Belka. Athos was a lowly Corporal, who had just earned his jump wings at the time. Osea decided to launch a series of retaliatory strikes into Belka after a harassing artillery barrage hit a bus full of kindergartners. Belka was considered incapable of fighting after destroying themselves in 1995. Unfortunately, Athos and several other brave paratroopers would find out just how wrong that assumption was, the hard way.

That day had long since passed, but the memories hadn't. Athos wanted to forget those memories for the longest time, wishing they had faded along with the past. The memories however, chose to remain.

Like any other soldier, Athos was scared to death on his first mission. He had no idea what to expect and the turbulent ride in the C-17 didn't help at all. His only surefire way to survive was to trust in his commanders and relying on his training. War seemed so distant several months before his first combat jump. Now it was dawning on him.

After taking a hard landing in a cold puddle of water several minutes later, Athos already began to feel bad. The scenery was the most dreary he had ever seen. Houses were rotting and the vegetation non-existent. A lonely road and rotting trees constantly reminded Athos, that Belka was now a wasteland. This wasteland used to be full of living creatures and activity. But now most of the Osean paratroopers began to doubt that anything could survive out here. But in a couple of moments Athos would come to understand what survival was all about.

The air was cold and still, just like the corpse of a dead body. Athos wasn't a man used to eerie silence, growing up in the bustling city of Oured. But as he walked through this barren, dead, distant land, he longed to be back home.

For a brief moment Athos looked up into a steep, wooded hillside. Hundreds of dead, black trees complemented the snowy, hilly landscape. Those trees, Athos remembered, seemed to be reaching out for him. It looked as if they were begging, pleading with him to save them. Unfortunately, Belka's time for salvation had long since passed.

Continuing along his walk Athos glanced at his fellow troopers. They plodded along, trying to look as relaxed as they could. But there was an unshakable tension in the air that couldn't be ignored. His friends and fellow soldiers nervously looked around the ghastly landscape, blanketed by a specter gray fog. Athos felt a presence closing in on him, but he didn't know were. At one moment he swore it was the fog, but he knew that fog couldn't kill. Swallowing, he tried to think of something else, but it was proving to become more and more difficult.

Athos didn't believe in ghosts, but the dreary landscape told him otherwise. Even though he couldn't see all those innocent souls that perished, he felt them watching him. Some were probably trying to warn him of something. But warn him of what?

God obviously left Belka a long time ago, the fires of hell already scorching the Earth. There's was no telling how many of Belka's dead, had once lined this lonely road. But Osean troops would soon fall on this lonely road too.

Belka's lonely silence was incredible, not a sound. Athos began to take a breath and concentrate on conquering the road in front of him. Then, in horror, he watched a fellow trooper's head disintegrate. He hadn't even heard the crack of the rifle, but he dropped down on instinct.

Rattling gunfire soon turned to the silence into a roaring battle. Confused, scared, and horrified Athos found himself struggling to fire. He saw white tracers fly past him. Lead rain whizzed past Athos, with all their sickening hisses and pops. Dirt and asphalt kicked up all around him. In the thick of the hellish encounter, Athos looked to his left and right to find five dead soldiers, soldiers he trained with. But he didn't take time to mourn their passing. Sadness quickly turned to anger.

The next couple of moments were a complete blur. Athos' training had kicked in, reminding him that the phantoms on the hillside were actually, Belkan troops. Quickly assessing the situation around him, he fell back to a ditch on the opposite side of the road. Three other Osean soldiers were held up there, firing relentlessly on the enemy above them.

Taking no time to talk Athos immediately started searching for targets. But what he saw nearly overwhelmed him. Hundred of Belkan troops were stampeding down the hill, their gray and white camouflage uniforms emerging from the woods. Belka may have had the element of surprise, but Athos was determined to survive this ordeal.

Other Osean paratroopers managed to regroup in a rather large ditch opposite the hillside. They were clearly determined to live through this as well, blindly firing on any Belkans foolish enough to step into the road.

Athos was still busy firing on the hill, but he soon realized that there were plenty of targets in the street. He quickly shifted position and loosed a wild volley of bullets in the enemy's direction. Like pieces of paper, three soldiers crumpled to the ground. But immediately afterwards three more soldiers fired in his direction.

"SH!T!" Athos said as he dropped as low as he could behind the ditch.

"CAN'T YOU GUYS BACK ME UP? WHAT ARE YOU…"

All three soldiers were dead now, open holes in their heads. Reacting Athos got up and headed towards those last remaining Osean troops. Just by luck Athos looked behind him to find a Belkan soldier running towards him. Without aiming, Athos squeezed the trigger, taking no time to notice the three bullets enter the man's torso.

Making a dash to a single barn down the road, Athos hurled his body behind a frozen haystack.

"ATHOS! ITS GOOD TO SEE YA!" A voice called out.

Athos looked to his left to see a familiar face, his squad leader.

"YOU TOO SARGE! WE GOT ANY AIR SUPPORT!" Athos yelled back, reloading his M-4.

"THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER ASK! YEAH, OUR RADIOMAN HAS GOT TWO F-16s FIVE MINUTES AWAY!"

"WE HAVE FIVE MINUTES!" Athos returned.

"DON'T KNOW! BUT I AIN'T DYING 'TILL I USE UP THIS CLIP!" The sergeant replied turing around to fire.

Turning around the flimsy cover of the frozen haystack, Athos began shooting the enemy again. His mind eventually faded into autopilot. Without second thoughts, he squeezed the trigger at anyone that moved, hearing bullet after bullet hit its target. Athos was so drowned in the cacophony of gunfire, that he almost missed what his commander said.

"GET DOWN! HE'RE THEY COME!" The sergeant yelled.

"WHO'S COMING!" Athos asked.

"LOOK UP!"

Two low flying F-16s blazed by overhead. Their engines nearly shattered everyone's eardrums. Despite their blazing speed, Athos could still remember the ribbon logo on their tails. He even watched four grayish objects fall towards the hillside. Suddenly, the whole area lit up in a heap of flames.

"STAY DOWN! IT'S GONNA GET HOT!"

Athos watched helplessly as the flames of napalm engulfed the enemy around him. It looked like a sadistic circus of hell, as bodied burned and fell to their deaths. In seconds an enemy was devastated.

Sporadic gunshots and screams rang out. Osean troops were firing on the last retreating Belkan troops.

"YEAH, YOU BASTARD!" A soldier yelled out.

"F#K YOU!" Another yelled.

Soon the gunfire subsided, the dead silence covering the landscape. The only noise left was the crackling of fire from the napalm.

"Sh!t Athos. One hell'uva day." The sergeant said.

Athos could smell and taste the napalm in the air. The sight was absolutely horrible and hundreds of charred bodies littered the hillside. The trees Athos saw earlier were now burnt to the ground.

Looking around, Athos saw Osean troops on the ground holding their stomachs, arms, or legs while medics tended to them. Everything was bloody and death was all around Athos. He looked to the road and saw dead bodies, both Belkans and Oseans.

"I hate this Corporal." The sergeant stated.

"I do too, sir." Athos sadly replied.

"You ever wonder what it means to pray for peace and train for war?" He said looking around.

"Not before today." Athos replied.

"Well, now you know." The sergeant replied walking away.

That was all Athos needed to hear. It's meaning hit him like the cold. Alone, Athos finally understood what that adage meant. War's only gifts were death and destruction. Nothing good came of it, but at least Athos had survived. Sighing he began to walk, until he heard a familiar click.

"More will die." A ghostly voice whispered.

Athos found saw himself getting shot by a dying Belkan soldier. He tried to tell himself to run but his body didn't budge. Screaming, he watched his body helplessly crumble to the ground in a blood mess.

Suddenly, Athos found himself resting against a red barn, feeling warm breeze. His breathing was rapid and sweat was running down his neck. Surprised, he found his gun pointing at Addison.

"Don't shoot. I'm one of the good guys, Sarge." Andersen nearly yelled.

Athos shook his head, surprised that he was still alive, "Sorry, Corporal. Bad dream."

"What? A bunch of armed rabbits?" Andersen joked helping Athos to his feet.

Getting to his feet, Athos replied, "Nope. Much worse."

The bad dream was a haunting memory from Athos' past. But he learned an important lesson that day. Pray for peace, train for war. He repeated the adage over and over again, making sure his men would never experience a day such as the one he did in Belka.

Looking at the evening sun Athos repeated, "Pray for peace, train for war."


	9. Chapter 9: Spoils of War

**Chapter 9**

**Spoils of War**

A long time ago, Peters had come to the conclusion that world leaders dealt with war like a game of chess. Like pawns, they sacrificed their soldiers and people solely to fulfill greedy, intricate ambitions. Every move on a chessboard has a particular consequence. Players must strategize constantly, playing a mental game of cat and mouse. One wrong move and the consequences reverberate throughout the rest of the game. But on the world stage, these reverberating consequences have much greater implications.

Years of combat experience had shown Peters the horrors of war. He had witnessed the sadness, pain, and agony that war caused. As far as he could tell war was in fact a demon that pummeled and demolished everything in its path. War made no distinction between civilian and soldier. Its hunger was only satisfied with the spilled blood of many.

Apparently, Yuktobanian brass hadn't quite understood war's true intentions. With anger, Peters watched as Zu-23-2 antiaircraft guns were set up on the rooftops. BTR-70s guarded the roads and DShK machine guns were set up in windows. Ardovka was a beautiful town, not a fortress. Ardovka's beauty was now tainted with the appearance of tanks and troops. The once busy, cheerful streets of the Yuktobanian town were now empty. Not a soul dared to enter the streets, for fear of getting caught in a crossfire.

Peters could have complained to the Yuktobanian brass. But all the trouble he would have to go through just to voice his opinions was too much. The Yuktobanian Army commanders just wouldn't take his suggestions into consideration, besides they believed that were fighting the war the _right_ way. Some people were foolish enough, not to listen.

Most often times, Peters was known to voice his opinions to his men. Of the eleven marines under his command, Tomas was the one most likely to add his two cents on anything that Peters talked about. Usually what Tomas had to say wasn't what Peters wanted to hear. But Peters preferred the truth more over than anything.

Tomas and Peters walked along the streets of Ardovka, musing on the martial transitions dawning upon the beautiful town.

"There are two ways a man can fight a war, Tomas." Peters said walking down Ardovka's main road.

"Either as a coward or a soldier?" Tomas replied in the form of a question.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Peters beckoned toward the AA guns, "Men who fight and men who hide."

"Making a reference to those double A's I see. But I'd hate to bust your bubble here sir, but war ain't exactly got a set of rules."

"Never has and never will." Peters sighed, "War is what you make it nowadays."

"Fun and games, war of attrition, holy war. The list of names goes on and on." Tomas added sarcastically. "But no matter how you look at it, war never changes. Its just a contest of body counts."

"And to think we've put up with it for this long. Guess we've become numb to killing people."

"Hopefully, you don't mean killing people in a collective sense. Now you know I can kill a man without feeling bad about it. But even I have a conscience sir, killing civilians or hiding behind them isn't on my to-do list."

"Not on mine either. It really is sad that our military assumes that the Oseans won't hit our equipment in a civilian area."

"Well, you know what they say about assume. Makes an a$$ outta you and me. Civilian casualties are just as big a part of war as military casualties and for our boys to assume that the Oseans won't take care of business, is a big mistake."

"Even we, meaning me and everyone in my squad have had to call in airstrikes in heavily populated areas. Didn't like it, but that's just a part of war we all have to contend with."

"Looks that way don't it? But I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. We're not the ones who order strikes in civilian areas so I'm not worrying."

"We're just the pawns in this deadly game. We mean nothing in the grand scheme of things."

"And neither do the innocent."

--

A few miles away, it was work as usual. Osean patrols were sent out to investigate enemy movements while others remained to guard the _barnyard_. More paratroopers were expected to drop in any moment, which made some of the paratroopers feel more at ease.

Athos was once again with his squad keeping watch for suspicious activity. It was a great time for conversation to perk back up again.

"Had a nightmare this afternoon sir?" Andersen asked.

"You weren't supposed to know that?" Athos replied, "Which means someone obviously couldn't keep their mouth shut." Athos shot Addison a look.

"Sorry 'bout that, Sarge. Just thought we all should know about it." Addison said.

"And why is that?" Athos asked angrily.

"Um… Because… Uh… Well, you know sir, we're blood brothers out here and…" Addison stumbled.

"First of all, I don't wanna be your blood brother. Second of all, you're not going to hear about my dream because it's about a bad experience."

"What breaking up with your girlfriend?" Myers smirked.

"You know what Private. Keep talking like that and you'll end up with a foot up your ass." Athos hissed, "And if you can tell I'm not having a good day. So shut your damn mouth and look out for the enemy. Is that, understood, Private?

"Won't let it happen again sir?" Myers cowered.

"Great job buddy. You succeeded in pissing off the Sergeant." James said sarcastically.

"Not like I planned to a$$hole. Besides what do you know about war?" Myers shot back angrily.

"Enough to keep my mouth shut." James answered.

"HEY! I don't lead a bunch of little girls here." Athos nearly yelled.

"Now do your damn jobs before you miss something."

"Yes sir!" The two soldiers replied.

Quiet came over the squad. Everyone was obviously on edge because of the heat but also because of tension. Athos was still getting over the nightmare he had. Reliving bad experiences, especially at a time like this, didn't leave people in the best of spirits. But getting mad at his men wasn't going to make things any better.

"Alright, sorry about that." Athos said blankly.

"Apology accepted." Addison whispered quietly.

"Don't push it, Corporal. You're lucky I didn't shoot you."

"And I thank you for not shooting me, Sarge. So if ya don't mind telling us, what the hell was this nightmare all about?" Addison replied.

"It's a recurring dream I have every now and then. Basically a bad firefight on my first combat jump."

"That bad sir?" Blake asked.

"Yeah." Athos looked at Blake, "That bad."

"You're still here, sir. You obviously must have done something right during that firefight, especially for a guy who fought for the first time." James said.

"Let's just say I got lucky that time. Fastest seven minutes of my life and by far the scariest. Belka is not a fun place to be."

"Belka actually had an army, sir? I thought they had just a couple of nuts with guns." Andersen said.

"All of us young paratroopers thought the same thing at the time. But we got more than we bargained for. You see, we thought that after the '95 war that there wasn't much left of Belka's army and we were right to some extent. It just turned out that our drop zone was near a high concentration of the last Belkan troops. Some intelligence officer screwed up and because of that screw up, about 150 of our guys died in that single engagement."

"Well how did they surprise you guys?" Wilkes asked.

"Hid behind trees on a hillside, at least a couple hundred of 'em. We were on a road, which is just about the dumbest place you can be during wartime. Anyways, these guys emerge from the wooded hillside like ghosts and start stampeding down the hill at us. Fortunately I found me a good spot in a ditch. Saved my life if you ask me."

"How come the Belkans didn't kill you then? Weren't there like hundreds of 'em?" Jenkins asked.

"Yeah, they could have had us. But by some God given miracle, some allied pilots from an ISAF squadron known as, Mobius, returning from a mission gave us some much needed close air support. Owe those flyboys my life, 'cause if it weren't for their napalm strike, we would have been toast." Athos explained.

"Heard of Mobius squadron before. Destroyed that Stonehenge thingy about a good ten yeas ago. Got the best 64 pilots on the continent I've heard." Blake informed everyone.

"Well, whoever those guys were, they saved our a$$es." Athos said.

"So if you don't mind me asking, Sarge. You kill anyone that day?" Andersen asked.

"Yeah, and in the moment of doing it I had no second thoughts. I was simply trying to survive. And let me tell you, for those first couple of seconds, the sight of tracers and hearing those bullets zipping by, was practically paralyzing. But realizing that I wanted to live, I just started shooting and the feeling is a lot different than shooting a M-16 down range and paper targets. Your brain makes you do horrible things to survive." Athos explained.

"You kill any more men since that they?" Jenkins asked.

"Oh, yeah. I'm a soldier and paratrooper at that. I have to kill people to accomplish a mission and to save my life and the lives of my fellow soldiers. After a while I soon came to grips with taking a man's life."

"How does one do that, sir? I mean none of us can really rationalize killing another human being." Blake said.

"Yes and no, Private. I say yes in the sense that you have to kill another soldier to accomplish an objective and prevent him from killing you and others. But I also say no, because that soldier you're killing could be a father, son, brother. Damn, he's related to somebody, y'know? But getting accustomed to killing wasn't easy."

"I bet it wasn't Sarge. After all who wants to kill someone?" Jenkins said.

"Commanders, fellow soldiers, and my own musing helped me to reach a conclusion. I figured that the man I'm trained to kill is trained to kill me. If I don't cut him down, he'll do the deed for me. That was the first realization I had. Later I learned that sometimes you have to kill another person to save the lives of others. Now, that may seem ridiculous to some but let me say this. Say a guy is holding an RPG, and ready to shoot down a chopper full of wounded men. Now if I'm standing right beside him and have a sudden change of conscience, that guy with the RPG, is going to kill about twelve wounded men. You see where I'm going with this? If I don't shoot that guy with the RPG, I'm just as responsible for the deaths of the wounded soldiers as that guy with the RPG is."

"Wow sir." James said.

"Make's a whole hell'uva lot of sense."

"Same here, Sarge." Blake added, "Makes me feel a little bit better."

"Well, for one thing those incoming C-17s are…"

"Oh, my, God." Jenkins said quietly.

In the distance, two C-17s were trying to evade some missiles.

Athos stood up, "C'mon guys shake 'em off!" Athos growled.

The others watched in horror as the planes desperately tried to maneuver away from the missiles. Flares were dispersed to try and spoof the missiles, but the giant cargo planes proved too slow. Then in one last seeming act of defiance, the C-17's leveled out to disperse their cargo.

"Holy sh!t their dropping troops while being shot at!"

Only a handful of paratroopers made it out of one plane before a missile slammed into the fuselage of one of the lumbering aircraft. In a sickening display of fireworks, the aircraft disintegrated into a ball of fire.

"God dammit! They can't do a damn thing!" Wilkes yelled.

The other aircraft dropped some more troops but not before a missile impacted right off its tail. Soon afterwards the aircraft began to spin rapidly out of control. Small specks started falling out of the aircraft as the plane hurtled towards the ground. Unfortunately, the small specks were human beings.

"Mother f#k! There it goes!" Addison yelled.

Helplessly, Athos and his squad watched the aircraft hurtle towards the earth with the sickening whine of a dying beast. Then, as the aircraft disappeared below the horizon a hellish flame ripped into the sky, with a deafening roar. No one survived.

"We just gonna sit here Sarge or check for survivors! Guys could still be alive out there." Blake suggested in a distressed voice.

"Calm down Private, we'll do something. For now we just stay put." Athos said in a hearty voice.

"I'm sure as hell anxious to do something, Sarge. I'm ready." Andersen said angrily.

"Me too sir." Addison followed cocking his rifle.

"Sorry to be an asshole gentlemen! But that doesn't mean a God damned thing until you shoot the son of a bitch! Understood? So don't be a hero unless you know what you're getting yourself into." Athos yelled.

"But men are dying out there, Sarge! We just can't sit on our asses and let 'em die!" James said.

"You think I don't know that soldier!" Athos' asked with a fiery look in his eyes.

"Listen, this happened too damn fast and we don't have any orders right now! So until we are given orders, we will stay right here!" Athos commanded.

"But, Sarge!" Myers protested.

"This isn't debatable soldier! You get your head on and get ready for what ever the hell comes next!"

The real war had just begun.


	10. Chapter 10: Live and Let Die

**Chapter 10**

**Live and Let Die**

Death is simply a means to an end. It is a time when worry and fear subside, giving way to the silence of peace. One ceases to exist as they are eternally separated from the realm of life. Through death, the soul and body are purged from one another, forever.

Nothing highlights the great schism between life and death better than war. War only has two outcomes, victory or defeat. The victorious live and reap the rewards of glory while the defeated either die or contend with shame. This is however, war, on a personal level.

It is easy for those so far removed from the hostilities to fight a war. Rulers only see war as a conflict of interests, while soldiers see it as a fight for survival. Men like Peters however, viewed war as an occupation, a deadly occupation, but an occupation nonetheless. Watching others die didn't faze the experienced marine. He could care less about death, as long as it didn't involve his men.

After witnessing the spectacular demise of the Osean paratroopers, Peters harbored no feelings of sorrow. His hand wasn't responsible for their deaths. And even if it were responsible, Peters would still be able to sleep at night.

Peters tried to ignore the cheers of the Yuktobanian SAM crews. They were almost ecstatic about bringing down the Osean C-17s. But the noise annoyed him because inflicting death upon others was something that he never got excited about. Killing the enemy was an objective, not a sport.

Without being noticed, Peters and his team walked to a waiting Ka-60 Kasatka (Yuke for Killer Whale) helicopter. Its spinning rotor blades created a cyclone of brown dust that reminded some of these commandos of the crash they just witnessed.

"Custodial duty once again, sir." Tomas sighed, strapping himself in the doorway of the transport.

"Following orders as always." Peters replied.

The other marines followed suit and strapped themselves to the helicopter. Peters gave the pilot a nod and the helicopter slowly lifted off towards the crash sites. Once again, he would have to send men to their deaths, men that had been through hell already. Sad that was. But as Peters always said, that wasn't his problem.

--

Heroism exists in many different forms and Athos was beginning to see just how heroic his men were. Athos was surprised at how eager his men were to rescue their fallen comrades. He never expected them to be so quick to risk their lives. For a moment, he felt bad about yelling at them. But after giving it some thought, he realized that his men simply wanted to be like him, selflessly risking their lives for the sake of others.

An order was given to all Osean squads to converge upon the crash site. Athos' squad would be leading the way, meaning they would be the first to make contact with their friends or enemies. Either way, Athos wasn't complaining. He was just here to follow orders.

"Alright gentlemen." Athos said addressing the anxious squad of soldiers. Their young faces suddenly looked like those of weary men. Blank and expressionless, they waited for their commander to continue.

"We're going ahead of everyone else this time. Two Apache gunships are already en route to the crash site to check for survivors. Now, I'm not going to lie to any of you here. There are probably no survivors over there. But I'm guessing that most of you will say that it doesn't hurt to try. So with that said, is there anyone here that refuses to participate?"

"No sir." Everyone replied. Not a hint of hesitation in their voices.

"Let's move out." Athos ordered.

--

With the swiftness of a sparrow, the transport helicopter swooped into position. Standing in the doorway, Peters waited for the sleek aircraft to come to a hover. He looked down to see the grass depress underneath the weight of the spinning rotor blades.

As the helicopter came to a hover, Peters released the ropes.

"GO, GO!" Peters yelled.

Out of the helicopter his men began fast roping to ground below. Once reaching the ground, the marines got down on their stomachs keeping watch for enemy soldiers. Peters was the last man to fast rope to ground. Feeling his feet, safely planted, he proceeded to take a position at the front of his team.

Just as Peters took a look back, the Kasatka was already heading towards Ardovka. Turning around, he saw the wretched sight of airplane wreckage. Smoke and fire surrounded the area. Whoever was left in the airplane obviously hadn't survived.

Surveying the area with a pair of binoculars Peters decided it was okay to move forward. He ordered his men to stand up. Cautiously the marines stood up tucking the rifle butts into the creases of their shoulders. With a slight wave forward, Peters and his men vigilantly proceeded towards the burning grave.

With a lack of emotion the marines briskly walked to their objective. They rapidly moved their G-36s from left to right, looking for any threats that could have hampered their mission. With darkened eyes, the trained killers began their hunt. Like a pack of vicious wolves they began looking for their helpless prey.

Coming upon the tail section of the C-17, Peters ordered his team to hold. Two Apache helicopters were busy scanning the area for any signs of life. All they saw was sections of wings and burning flames. Peeking around the corner, Peters waited for the buzzing metal beasts to disappear. Hiding behind the cover of the tail, Peters watched the two Osean helicopters roar overhead as they headed back to their base. Watching the aircraft fade into the horizon, he decided it was safe to continue.

Peters pointed at Tomas. He held up six fingers and extended his arm to the left. Acknowledging the order Tomas nodded and five men followed him off to the left. Peters then pointed to the remaining soldiers and patted his chest, meaning follow me.

Simultaneously the two columns of marine commandos moved around the crash site. Their pace slowed down a bit, making sure that no one planned on shooting them. As Peters' group converged on a broken wing, two Osean paratroopers stood up to engage them. But Peters quickly aimed in their direction. Squeezing the trigger he loosed two quick bursts into their heads. In seconds the paratroopers collapsed to the ground. The rest of his men were already looking for more paratroopers, but no more appeared. Suddenly, Peters heard a groan come from behind the broken wing. Without thinking he led his group to the noise coming upon three limp bodies. One of the bodies tried to lift a weapon. Peters' men were about to kill the wounded soldier, but Peters had other things in mind.

"Hold your fire." Peters ordered calmly.

Walking up to the wounded soldier, Peters stepped on his right arm. A grunt was forced out of the young man, as one of Peters' men grabbed the M-4 out of the paratrooper's hand.

"Wouldn't try that soldier." Peters advised, lowering his G-36

"You're just as good as dead. So you better start talking."

"Might as well kill me then. I'm not telling you a damn thing." The young man struggled to say.

Peters stepped on the soldier's arm even harder, forcing a yell this time.

"Not going to let you get off that easy." Peters turned to the team's Corpsman, "Patch him up Johansen."

The corpsman moved to address the soldier's wounds. Peters knelt down in front of the saved enemy. Tomas and the other team moved to cover the area surrounding Peters.

"Just so you know." Peters began.

"You're not gonna get rescued."

Still, the wounded soldier said nothing. His eyes started fluttering

"Brave enough to keep your mouth shut I see. Well, we'll take care of that later."

Peters could have beaten the soldier into submission but there was no time for that. The morphine that the corpsman was using had already put the man to sleep. Next time he awoke, the young paratrooper would find himself in a very different place.

"Eversen, grab him and get ready to move out. Sergey, get that Kasatka up on the radio. We got what we came for." Peters ordered.

The marine followed the order and hoisted the limp body over his shoulders.

"Move it!" Peters ordered.

While Peters' men started running back, he remained behind to check for any stragglers. Satisfied with what he saw, he proceeded to join his team. This mission was over.

--

Heroes are always willing to defend the helpless. They selflessly put their lives on the line to ensure the safety of others. A hero never fights for glory, but fights for what is right. Through the darkness of despair, heroes carry the torch of hope. Being the first to volunteer made Athos and his squad a true embodiment of heroes. No one chooses to be a hero. It just sometimes turns out that way.

A tragedy had descended upon the Flamin' Angels. Many of their friends, died without a chance to fight back. Even though the advent of finding survivors was highly unlikely, nobody wanted to be the first to give up. Leaving a comrade behind was out of the question. Athos didn't need to tell that to his men. They already volunteered to look for survivors.

Reluctantly, Athos took his men at face value. Not that he wanted to though. He knew they were soldiers who had obviously weighed the risks of what they were doing. Weighing the risks didn't take too long for them. That was what worried Athos. Any man in combat would take time to make a decision as drastic as the one his men made. He hoped that their bravery didn't rise from ignorance. Because in war, it is a man's ignorance that often proves fatal.

Silently, Athos led the volunteers to the crash site. In the distance they could see the bits and pieces of the destroyed aircraft. Flames and smoke crept up from the epicenter of what looked to be a disgruntled grave sight. Doubts began to surface in the soldiers' heads as to if they would find anyone alive. But they had to continue, because the possibility of leaving just one man behind was a burden that was too heavy to bear.

The smell of burning jet fuel began to enter their lungs, forcing out some cloths. Crackling flames leapt around Athos' cautious squad. What they were seeing was unlike anything they had witnessed before.

Wings, tail sections, and even a wheel were found. They were wrecked in such a way that at first glance it was hard to determine what they were. Athos' men wanted to comment on what they saw, but they believed that their silence was a gesture of respect for the dead.

Athos' squad started searching the broken tail section. Amazed, they could only stare at the totally intact rear stabilizer. None of them could imagine anything surviving that crash, alive or not. But what they saw was just one of those freak miracles people found in war. Inspecting the inside they began looking for bodies, but found none. Content with what he saw, Athos led his squad to other parts of the wreckage.

"DROP YOU'RE WEAPONS OR WE'LL SHOOT!" A voice called out.

Athos raised his rifle towards the group of men, the rest of his squad doing same thing. A shootout was about to occur until Athos realized who they were.

"Lower your weapons, gentlemen. Looks like we've found somebody." Athos said walking towards the men. The rest of his squad began talking to their fellow paratroopers, who were no doubt shaken up, but able to speak nonetheless.

"Are we glad to see someone familiar. Corporal Vinny Copes. Sorry about that." One of the fallen paratroopers said.

"Sergeant George Athos. And don't apologize for what you did. I would have acted the same way in your situation." Athos replied.

"You boys from Lima Company, right?"

"Yes sir." The paratrooper replied as he exchanged a handshake followed by a salute.

"No salutes needed soldier. You boys just went through hell."

"Didn't we?" The young man replied looking around the wreckage.

"Any more survivors?" Athos asked.

The paratrooper hesitated for a second, "No, none that we've encountered." He explained with a sigh.

"If you wanna find the dead, good luck because most of 'em never made it out of the plane."

"You boys must have just made it out of the plane." Athos observed.

"About twenty of us. It was pure hell inside of that plane sir. The pilots announced that a missile was chasing them. Making erratic maneuvers, most of us fell over. But suddenly, the pilot leveled out and the jumpmasters immediately told us to get out while we could. The plane leveled out for a couple of seconds and a few of us got out."

"What happened next?" James asked suddenly joining the conversation.

"That was the sickening part. I wasn't in the air for five seconds before I turned around and saw the missile slam into the plane. About ten guys fell out without a parachute and I could hear some of 'em screaming on the way down. Worst screams I've heard in my whole life." Copes explained.

"You know what happened to the other aircraft?" Andersen asked Copes.

"Yeah, for a like a second. And ironically the ones in the other plane were quite lucky. Looks like the Yukes managed to hit a fuel tank with their missile and the plane turned into a fireball a second later. Craziest piece of shit I've ever seen. Hope I never have to see something like that again."

"The Apaches flew overhead? Right?" Athos asked.

"They did but they missed 'em." Another paratrooper said.

"Missed who?" Athos asked.

"We tried to stop 'em, Sarge." The young soldier lamented.

"But we couldn't."

"Who were they soldier?" Athos asked grabbing the man by the shoulders.

"Calm down Mercetti." Copes said patting the soldier on the back.

"Come with me, Sarge."

Athos followed the young paratrooper to a broken wing, only to be greeted by the sight of two dead bodies.

"Shit!" Athos hissed under his breath.

"Yuke Sixth ID right?"

"No sir. Fifteenth Marines, sir. Commando's. When a couple of us landed on the ground, we immediately converged on the crash site. When we got closer we heard a helicopter arrive, before the Apaches. Sad thing was, the Apaches were leaving just as we made it here, then they appeared."

"The Yuke Fifteenth?" Athos asked.

"Yes sir. We saw two guys trying to defend someone barely alive."

"Those two obviously were shot." Athos observed, seeing the bullet holes in their heads.

"What happened to the guy who was barely alive?"

"They took him, after they shot the other men. We could have saved them earlier, but we saw them, just as the commandos came upon them. I'm just a regular paratrooper and there is no way me and the four of us, could take down twelve of them." Copes explained, pausing for thought, "Any idea why the Yuke Fifteenth Marines were here, sir?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. We were here first but we had no idea the Fifteenth was here. Sure, we encountered patrols from the Yuke Sixth Infantry, but no one else. No telling how long those boys had been watching us." Athos replied.

More Osean soldiers started arriving at the crash site.

"See you brought some company, sir." Copes noticed.

"Yeah, we did. Sorry about your friends Corporal."

"Ain't your fault. At least you didn't leave us behind." Copes said looking at the dead body.

"Well don't put the blame on yourself. Let's get you and your men back to base."

"Sound good sir." Copes managed with a weary smile.

"ANGELS ON ME!" Athos yelled out.

The first blows had been dealt. War was now upon these men and for the first time in a while, Athos was worried. But regardless of how he felt, he was a leader, and a leader had to show his men how to live in the horrible world of combat. He didn't like it, but neither did his men.


	11. Chapter 11: Lack of Pity

**Chapter 11**

**Lack of Pity**

Pain has a powerful effect on a human being. When one experiences pain their state of mind changes. Everything from a person's attitude to their perception of time becomes fundamentally different. With regard to attitude pain may cause one to be passive, mean, or aggressive. In the case of time, seconds can seem like minutes, minutes can seem like hours, and hours can seem like days. Not a whole lot for a person to look forward to.

Taking into account the detrimental effects of pain, it can be used as an effective tool for interrogation. Not only does pain alter one's state of mind it also instills a sense of fear. Combining a sense of fear with an altered state of mind yields interesting results. Just the mere thought of experiencing pain will make even the most stoic of people think twice about withholding information.

Since every person is unique, the methods for obtaining information from those people must also be unique. These methods require a level of ingenuity, manipulation, and not to mention some unorthodox thinking. Interrogators and torturers alike use special methods to obtain the information they so desire.

Over the years, Peters had played the role of both interrogator and torturer. He preferred to not label himself by any of those monikers, considering such names over the top. Instead, Peters chose to call himself an investigator, a man who simply wanted to know the truth.

Groggy and disoriented, Peters' prisoner struggled to find out where he was. He was tied to a chair, stripped down to his underwear. The prisoner's eyes were unable to focus on anything as his vision was blurred. His head moved around flamboyantly, with an obvious lack of coordination. Morphine was after all, a powerful drug.

Before beginning the interrogation process, Peters first had to isolate his prisoner. The location of choice was the top floor of an unfurnished office building. It was eerily quiet with a hanging light bulb emanating a weak glow across the darkness.

Peters and Tomas stood around the prisoner, their stern gazes half hidden from the yellowish light.

"How nice of you drop in on us!" Peters announced.

"Where am I?" The Osean asked in a drunken voice.

"You're in Yuktobania!" Peters replied loudly.

The prisoner tried to reply, but couldn't. The morphine hadn't quite worn off yet.

"We never really have guests in this part of the country, so you could imagine we're thrilled to have you as a guest. If you don't mind I'd like to ask you a couple of questions." Peters was starting the interrogation.

"First off I'd like to ask you where you're from?" Peters asked.

"I'm from Osea and… that's all… you're gonna… get!" The prisoner replied managing a somewhat cohesive sentence.

"Don't mean to be rude, but that seems a bit obvious." Peters replied walking around the prisoner.

Tomas made a slight smirk.

"Now if I remember correctly, you told us you were in the Osean army. Is that correct?" Peters lied.

"I never said that!" The prisoner yelled back, his morphine had obviously worn off.

"Calm down. There's no need to get excited. Remember I just want answers."

The prisoner finally realized what was happening to him. Following orders he gave the following reply, "Corporal Jacob Samuels, serial number 6-7-8-5-3-3-1."

_Following orders I see,_ Peters didn't say, "Oh thanks for the name Mister Samuels, but I don't remember me asking you for that kind of information. But thanks anyway." Peters replied, rolling up his sleeves.

"You're not going to get anything out of me, you bastard! You won't!" The prisoner yelled.

In a calm voice Peters replied, "We'll see to that."

"So before you get any more excited, just let me ask another question."

Peters got in the prisoner's face and spoke quietly, "What, are you doing here?"

Instead of answering the question, he just stared back at his interrogator.

Sighing, Peters asked the same question again, "What, are you doing here?" He asked in a darker tone.

Silence. Now it was time to turn up the heat.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" Peters yelled kicking the chair over.

The prisoner yelled as the back of the chair landed on his hands. Peters quickly grabbed the chair and put the prisoner back up.

"You know what we can do to you." Peters said, grabbing the prisoner by the shoulders.

"I don't care what you say, because deep down inside I know you're terrified. If you're trying to save your friends, it doesn't matter. We know where they are and we can kill them, anytime, we want. You can choose to speak or not, but either way, you lose. Now I'll ask you again, but clearer this time. What are you, meaning the Osean 77th, doing in Yuktobania?"

"You're not getting anything."

Following the routine, Peters quickly motioned for Tomas to pull out his knife, "That's it!" Peters shouted, "I'm tired of you not cooperating. Tomas, get rid of what's most precious to a young man. Cut 'em off."

Tomas motioned to cut off some specific organs. The prisoner looked down and began writhing in his chair.

"NO! STOP! NO! DON'T! STOP IT!" The prisoner screamed.

"Too late Mister Samuels, you should have talked."

Feeling the knife's cold blade touch his skin, the prisoner finally agreed to speak.

"WE WERE TO SET UP A BASE OF OPERATIONS FOR OUR ATTACK HELICOPTERS!" He replied in a rapid voice.

"See! That wasn't too hard was it?" Peters said quietly.

"Please, no more." The prisoner said.

"No more what?" Peters asked acting oblivious. "I wasn't the one that was about to shatter your chances of having kids. And I don't know why you're asking me to stop, I still haven't gotten all the information I wanted." Peters explained.

This caused the prisoner to groan.

"Now, for my next question. Are there any more coming?"

"I… I… honestly don't know sir. I don't." Came the prisoner's nervous reply.

Peters lunged at the prisoner forcing his head back. In his face he yelled, "BULLSH!T!"

"I don't know, honestly." The prisoner still replied on the threshold of emotional shock.

Peters threw his hands up in the air and started pacing around the room, "You said honestly, twice already. I hate redundancy. So you know what? My staff sergeant, will make sure you don't give me anymore redundant answers."

Tomas began putting on some rubber gloves. He then opened the top of a gallon size container of nitric acid.

"You see what my staff sergeant is doing?" Peters asked grabbing the prisoner's face and forcing him to look. "He's pouring nitric acid into a spoon. I'm not a scientist and neither are you, but I think its safe to say that we both know what acid can do a person's skin. I really haven't seen what acid does to the skin, but you are gonna end up showing me. Give me your hand."

Desperately, the prisoner tried to pull back his hand, but it was useless.

"Give me your hand dammit!" Peters growled grabbing the prisoner's arm.

Carefully, Tomas moved forward with the spoon. In fear, the prisoner watched Tomas bring the spoon above his palm. He watched it turn over, as the acid dropped towards the soft skin.

"ARGHHHH! NO! STOP!" The prisoner agonized, shaking and screaming.

"Didn't feel good did it?" Peters replied rhetorically.

Hissing and groaning, the prisoner shook his head.

"Even if you got half a brain, I don't think you'd want to go through that again. If you don't answer my questions from this point forward though, its not just going to be your hands that are on fire." Peters explained moving to the prisoner's face. "Is, that, understood?"

"Yes." The prisoner managed, trying to nurse his scalding palm.

"There are supposed to be more flights of paratroopers soon. Like… All week."

"Good. That was all I wanted to know." Peters said with a fake smile.

"What are you… going to do?" The prisoner asked noticing Peters walk away.

"None of your business." Peters replied acting like he was walking out of the room.

Peters gave Tomas a look, "Shoot him up with more drugs, so the next session won't be as difficult."

"Yes sir." Tomas replied walking towards the prisoner with another load of morphine.

In fear the prisoner looked at the long needle. Not knowing what the needle contained he screamed for Tomas to stop. But Tomas moved forward grabbing an arm and sticking the needle into the young man's veins. Slowly, the screaming died down, as a cold sensation ran through the prisoner's body. In twenty seconds, he was sound asleep.

Standing in the dark Peters realized that the prisoner only reinforced what had been assumed, that the Oseans were setting up a base of operations within Yuktobania. In all actuality the little acid trick, was over the top. Peters could have felt sorry for the soldier, but that wasn't his job. Soldiers never felt sorry for their enemies.

--

For people surviving a traumatic experience it is awfully hard for them to decide whether they're blessed or just plain lucky. Atheist or not, all people grapple with the thought. It's just one of life's mysteries that will probably, never be answered. But regardless of the answers a few Osean paratroopers were just happy to be alive.

Copes and twenty other paratroopers managed to get out of the C-17s, unscathed. Feeling some degree of sympathy, Athos took it upon himself to attach Copes and three other survivors from his squad, to his. This gave time for the shocked troopers to cool down and gradually speak of their experiences.

Athos' original squad was fascinated and amazed at the story of their fellow paratroopers. Not many men managed to escape certain death and stare that death in the face. As far as Athos' men were concerned, Copes and his squad mates were the bravest men they had met.

Near a small fire, Athos squad along with Copes and other survivors ate their rations, slept or talked about women, sports, or life after the army.

"Y'know, I've always wanted to be a poet believe it or not." James said eating a mouth full of beans from his ration.

"Private James, a poet? Naw." Addison replied with a laugh.

"Long way from being in the paratroopers my friend." Copes replied.

"I'm not surprised." Andersen added.

"James is probably the only guy in this squad with his head on. Thinks more than all of us here grunts."

"Yeah, a poet isn't exactly a paratrooper. But I'm not a poet in the sense of 'roses are red, violets are blue'. I do stuff called spoken word." James replied.

"Can't say I've heard of that before." Copes said.

"Why not? Where you from?" James asked.

"Sotoa, believe it or not. But my family moved to Osea when I was thirteen. Lived in the middle of the country though. Lived in a really small town. So… That aside, what's this spoken word stuff?"

"Oh nothing really different from poetry, but with more of a hip hop flare. A couple of cats I grew up with in Oured, used to do it all the time." James explained.

"Yeah, I listen to some hip hop now and then. But I'm a rock fan to be honest." Copes explained. "You ever try and write some stuff down though?"

"At times, but ain't much down time here in the Army. But the Army has given me some inspiration for words. But I don't have much to say though." James said.

"He has plenty to say, Copes. He's just being modest." Andersen said patting James on the shoulder.

"C'mon Andersen." James shook his head, "I'm not that good."

"You gotta have something?" Copes said.

"Just because I'm a rock fan doesn't mean I like to hear what you gotta say. Lets hear it."

James hesitated and looked around, "Alright, I'll just say what's been going through my head. Give me a sec."

"He says a lot of deep things. Gotta hear it." Addison told Copes.

"Yo, check it. Through the heaven and hell, we swoop on down. Free, fallin' angels, no chance at redemption. Yo, the war game is rough, the fear is real, don't like it, that's tough. You see, we're drones, marching long days and nights, your left, right, left. Out here is paradise lost, no deliverance for us. We stick to a script. But while ya'll enjoyin' the show, we livin' this movie." James spoke.

Everyone was quiet soaking in the powerful words. James couldn't have been more on point. Addison was the first to break the silence.

"Damn, James. If you wanted us to think you sure as hell succeeded."

"Hell'uva job, James." Cope said.

"I'd like to hear more of this."

"Thanks guys. That's just a little something I do to keep myself from losing it out here." James explained.

"You can't be more right, James." Andersen said

"We all need something to stay sane out here."

"Well being a soldier ain't exactly easy." Addison added.

"And paratrooper at that." Copes added.

"Ain't that the truth?" James replied.

"At least we're alive. Don't know how long that'll last. But I don't care." Copes explained. "I'm just gonna enjoy the time that I'm here."

"Amen to that." Everyone replied in unison.

Life as a soldier was hard, and James' poem reiterated that fact. None of them knew what catastrophes or circumstances the future held for them. But considering what just happened, none of these men worried. Just being alive, meant more than anything right now.


	12. Chapter 12: Lest We Forget

**Chapter 12**

**Lest We Forget**

A pouring rain seemed to extinguish the burning confidence of the Flamin' Angels. Their once vigorous sense of poise and assurance was replaced by feelings of sadness, anger, and frustration. Wings had been clipped and the men of the 77th began to doubt whether they would see Osea ever again.

One by one, drops of water fell from the brims of their boonie hats. These paratroopers were thoroughly soaked. But considering the mood of the occasion, they really didn't care.

The 77th began to pay respects to the fallen. Without a proper way to preserve the bodies, the paratroopers resorted to burying their dead. In the ways of common military tradition, rifles were wedged, muzzle first into the dirt, battered helmets gracing the ends of the stocks. These tangible symbols reiterated the fact that death was just around the corner. Not a day, hour, minute, or second was promised to these soldiers.

Standing rigid and still the paratroopers tried to quell any hints of emotion. But the task proved harder than fighting a war itself. For those that survived the crash an overwhelming feeling of sadness over came them. As the chaplain read over biblical verses, some could not help but let tears stream down their cheeks. These paratroopers were all close friends some of them claiming to be long lost brothers. Losing one of their own was as painful as losing a part of their family. After all, the Osean 77th was a group that prided itself on fraternity. These men were truly brothers.

Even though Athos and his squad did not know the departed souls, there existed a feeling of grief within them as well. Yet, for them, anger was more prevalent. Watching their comrades die, without a chance to fight back, was enraging. Standing at attention, they clinched their fists. They wanted to shout, they wanted to scream, and they wanted to kill. But Athos had to keep reminding himself that he was a professional soldier. Fighting with emotion clouded your judgment and for Athos to have clouded judgment was out of the question.

Upon hearing the depressing resonance of taps played on a bugle, the paratroopers saluted. Slowly, the noise gave way to the drowning monotony of the rain. With the ceremony finished, the soldiers dispersed to begin anew.

"So, guess this means we're at war huh?" Addison asked

"We always were." Athos replied solemnly.

"Well, looks like we got something to do." Andersen beckoned to Captain Dunnigan.

"TEN HUA!" A soldier yelled out.

Every soldier snapped to attention.

"At ease gentlemen." Dunnigan said quietly.

The soldiers relaxed and looked at their superior with blank, depressing stares.

"I'm not going to deny the solemnity of this occasion gentlemen. Those of you from Lima Company that survived, we're glad to have you here. But I'm gonna have to cut short the introductions. Only a couple of minutes after the horrific crashes yesterday, a few Osean soldiers, who were believed to have survived the ordeal, are missing in action. Now from what we learned from a few of you, a Corporal Jacob Samuels was captured by elements of the Yuke Fifteenth Marines. Ordinarily we would have gone to look for him immediately. But the problem is that we don't know where exactly the Yuke Fifteenth has taken him."

"According to our intelligence, Samuels was likely taken to the town of Ardovka, but they don't know for sure. I don't want to risk lives here gentlemen on information I'm unsure of."

_About time_, Athos didn't say.

"We did expect to begin further operations today, but because our reinforcements were killed that is not possible. But let me mind you gentlemen that help is on the way. We've received word from our fly boys that they'll begin suppressing the SAM systems here to allow more C-17 flights to come through."

"The Air Force has agreed to send a deep strike to allow for reinforcements. They just have one request. I tried to convince them otherwise but I couldn't."

_Get to the point_, Athos said to himself.

"They will send in a SEAD strike but they need someone to designate the targets. This means that we will have to get dangerously close to the Yukes. Since they know where exactly we are, they'll probably be all over the place. The reason the Air Force wants us to designate targets this is because the brass is very particular about civilian casualties. They simply don't want to hit a civilian target, to save face."

_Don't they always_, Athos wanted to reply.

"In order to make this easier we will use a few squads for recon. We don't expect to engage the enemy. But in the event you are engaged, our Apache gunships can give you guys some close air support."

"Three squads have been chosen for this mission. Those squads are as followed. First, Twelfth, and Fifteenth."

Athos took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Unlike before his men would really be put in harms way. He noticed his men exchanging looks and quiet dialogue. They were scared.

"In the event, gentlemen, that you find out where Corporal Samuels is, you are not, I repeat, not authorized to rescue him."

Those from Lima Company started to raise their voices.

"Gentlemen! These are not my orders. This is what my superiors ordered me to do and they are emphasizing strict rules of engagement. We cannot deviate from them for reasons that I honestly don't understand. I am sorry it has to be this way gentlemen but this is the sad reality of war. Briefing starts a seven thirty this evening. That is all."

Dunnigan walked away followed by an entourage of other lieutenants and other officers. As they disappeared the surprised soldiers began to talk amongst themselves.

"I can't believe this. We just gonna let this Samuels guy rot in there?" Jenkins complained.

"Yeah, sir. He could be right under those damn air defenses for all we know." Wilkes added.

"I hear you, gentlemen. But the fact of the matter is that we just simply cannot disobey rules of engagement." Athos replied.

"We never leave are men behind, Sarge. You know that." James reminded Athos.

"Yes, I know, but the brass has a dilemma on its hands. They know that we need more reinforcements and the only way to see to that is the destruction of those air defenses. But they also realize that a man left behind is unacceptable. Now do they decide to let one man die and save a couple of hundred Osean troops, or do they sanction a rescue mission that could end up in disaster with massive casualties. These are the things that are on the minds of our superiors." Athos reasoned.

"Seems like you're defending them." Myers said angrily.

Athos shot Myers a look.

"Watch your mouth soldier." Athos growled.

"I am, sir!" Myers challenged.

Athos grabbed Myers by the collar. Both men stared each other in the eyes. No one intervened.

"You listen to me carefully, soldier!" Athos hissed.

"You will not question me on what I say! You understand me! I am not defending the Captain, I am trying to tell explain to you, how f#ked up our situation is! Now if you don't like it you, tough. You just have to suck it up! But God damn, if you ever talk to me like that again, I'll shoot you myself!" Athos said slightly louder.

"Is that understood!" Athos nearly yelled, catching the attention of several other paratroopers.

"Yes sir." Myers said a bit quietly.

"Now for the rest of you. You will meet me right here at seven thirty."

"Yes sir!" They replied in unison.

"That is all! You are dismissed!" Athos said angrily.

The rest of the squad didn't budge. Instead they gave their commander disapproving stares.

"I said you are dismissed gentlemen! Move it!"

Athos' men finally dispersed with a totally different look at their commander. Alone, Athos breathed out heavily and started cursing himself for taking his frustration out on his men. He knew that the outburst was completely acceptable. Athos did not consider himself a screamer and wished there was some way to take back what he said. But he figured the damage was already done. Now he thought of the things he had to do to win back their respect, because he was more than certain they just lost respect for him.

He hoped, that despite the unnecessary display of anger, his men would follow his orders for the mission ahead. Something told him, that they wouldn't. Athos had to remind himself however, that his men were professional soldiers who were trained to put their personal baggage aside. But doubts sufficed as to if that would actually be the case this time around. Men trusted and respected their commanders with knowledge that their commanders would dutifully return such values. Athos knew that he did model himself after those qualities, just not today.

If his men died today, it would be because of the respect they lost for him. Their blood would be on his hands. For the first time, Athos felt like he had made a horrible mistake. He hoped he was wrong about his men dying because of that reason. Deep down inside though, he thought otherwise.


	13. Chapter 13: Over With and Done

**Chapter 13**

**Over With and Done**

Peters' was a man that liked to clean up after himself. Besides, there really was no reason to keep the Osean prisoner alive. He had served his purpose and it was only fitting to dispose of the body. No sense in another man taking up space. Peters hoped the Oseans weren't planning a rescue mission. A firefight in the middle of Ardovka was not how he wanted to spend this evening.

Taking refuge in a grassy field Peters took some time to rest. As always he propped his neck up against some ammo crates, letting his boonie hat shield his face. Sleeping in such a way wasn't exactly the most comfortable way to sleep but Peters had been though worse. What more could you expect from a hardened marine.

Though his eyes were closed he could still hear the bustling military activity nearby. From time to time he would feel the earth vibrate as the occasional five-ton truck convoy rolled by. Troops spoke in muffled voices keeping up on their various duties while helicopters buzzed in the distance.

"Sir." A familiar voice said.

Peters casually moved his hat from his face. He looked up to see his trusted Sergeant, Tomas.

"What we do now?" Peters asked getting to his feet.

"We're up apparently. Brass thinks the Oseans may be planning something for tonight." Tomas replied.

"And lemme guess. They want us to investigate?" Peters asked rather rhetorically.

"Couldn't be more correct Cap'n."

"Well, you know what that means. Gather up the rest of the team and tell to hurry the hell up. Don't wanna keep intel waiting much longer." Peters said with a smirk.

"Don't I know?" Tomas asked sarcastically.

--

Athos was convinced that paratroopers always got the short end of the stick. They always parachute behind enemy lines, are surrounded on all sides, and almost always have to wait forever for reinforcements. Such was the situation the Osean 77th found themselves in once again. Waiting for reinforcements, surrounded on all sides by an Army that wanted to kill them.

But something bothered Athos. Why hadn't the Yukes just gotten it over with by now? The Yukes were numerically superior and had more than ample opportunity to obliterate this lone Osean force. For a moment, Athos was unsure of whether or not they were blessed or just damn lucky. Either way, he never took the time to complain. His squad was still alive at least.

Suiting up was quieter than normal. Usually Athos and his squad would have been laughing and joking. This time however, they were quite silent. Something told Athos the silence was due to his outburst earlier today. He hadn't quite forgiven himself and saw this as his punishment. But he also couldn't discount the fact that his men were just plain scared.

Up to this point his men were still virgins. While not making commentary on their sex lives Athos and other Osean troopers referred to virgins as men who hadn't taken a life yet. No one in his squad had taken a life and no one wanted to. Death they had witnessed, but death they had not inflicted. The prospect of killing another human being was quite disheartening to these men. Still, that was not the end of their concerns. They realized that there was someone out there waiting to kill them as well. None of these young souls knew what awaited them in those dark Yuktobanian fields. A part of them wanted to find out, who or what was awaiting them. On the other hand, none of them really wanted to find out.

Darkly camouflaged faces represented the darkness of the unknown. It was easy to be brave when you knew what you were up against. In this moment, nobody knew what they were up against a fact that was more terrifying than anything they had known. But Athos had to give his men credit. Despite an obvious sense of fear they had enough strength to saddle up for the ride anyway.

After finishing up with the face paint Athos turned around to address his men.

"Alright gentlemen listen up. Tonight, is our first offensive operation into Yuktobania. A lot is riding on this one and we're the first squad in. Our job. Identify and designate five key SAM launchers near the town of Ardovka. While it has been stressed that we are only a recon element, that does not mean we aren't in danger. Intelligence has placed significant importance on troop strength levels. Ardovka is not only a major Yuktobanian town it is a major military stronghold as well. That means the outlying areas around the town will be heavy with activity. Expect roving patrols and even the occasional dogs. And yes gentlemen, fluffy bites this time." Athos explained.

"Once again, I have to reiterate how important it is to stay quiet. That means radio silence and hand signals. We've trained like this plenty of times gentlemen and last time I remember we did pretty damn well in training scenarios. I know that doesn't help much but rely on the skills you learned in training. Praying is great, but reliance on training is much more assuring."

"We stay out of sight and within the nearby brush. Satellite photography didn't give us the luxury of finding the SAM before hand. But at least we know the number of SAMs we're looking for. Remember gentlemen, our job is only to only point out and identify the SAM launchers. Once we complete our objectives we wait for further orders. Most likely we'll have to engage the enemy in one form or another. But for now we're just peeping toms."

"Radio codes are as followed. Though we will not be using our radios for quite some time it still doesn't hurt to know our designations. First off, Papa Bear are the boys in charge. Spear 1 is our designation and rightfully so since we're leading this operation. The designation for the fighters is Wardog 1 though 4. They are counting on us to lase the targets for them. Distraction squads, in case the Yukes decide to retaliate, will be known as Weasel 1 and Weasel 2. They will buy enough time for Apache gunships to fuel up and cover our retreat for a while. Hopefully this battle won't be drawn out. Fortunately, more reinforcements are on their way as we speak expecting these SAMs to be wiped out. But get this gentlemen, Wardog is supposed to stay on station after engaging the SAMs. CAS it turns out. So we aren't all alone out there. Lets just do our jobs and get back it one piece. Hoo oh?"

"Hoo oh?" His men replied.

"Lets start the show." Athos replied hoisting his rucksack over his back.

Towards the open Yuktobanian fields and brush Athos and his squad faded into the darkness. Like ominous specters the darkness of the night soon enveloped them. Fear and anxious weighed heavy on their minds but they proceeded anyway. They had to have in themselves and faith in each other. Once the shooting started they would only have each other to count on out there. War made no promises but these men promised to protect each other and just such an attitude was what they needed to survive.


	14. Chapter 14: Hide and Seek

**Chapter 14**

**Hide and Seek**

Stop, look, and listen. This particular order of words was what Peters used to describe recon missions. The job was simple. Observe enemy movements, report anything out of the ordinary, and make sure you never got caught. Sure, Peters thought he was a little naïve to think the operation would go that smoothly. But several successful past experiences had forged an optimistic mindset for Peters. If he hadn't failed yet, why should he have thought he ever would?

Like specters in the dark they lie motionless. Specters were certainly terrifying sights to behold, but nothing was scarier than the threat you couldn't see. The Yuktobanian 15th Marines prided themselves with the slogan, "You can't kill what you can't see." Such a saying defined Peters' current mission. Though he and his men weren't killing anyone today there where certainly in the perfect position to do so. Only 100 yards from the enemy was not the safest of places to be in. But when was safety ever prevalent in war?

"Same as usual Cap'n." Tomas whispered as he kept an eye on the Oseans.

"Don't see why'd they want us look at random patrols all day, but I don't make the orders. I just follow them." Peters complained.

"Just try and hold out for three more hours, sir."

"I'm thrilled." Came Peters' sarcastic reply.

"Hunker down marine! Hunker down!" Tomas joked.

"And I would, Sergeant. But are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"You mean those eight grunts in black face paint? Could just be a night patrol." Tomas replied noticing eight Osean soldiers exiting the makeshift base.

"Not with those giant rucks on their backs. Someone's up to something." Peters observed.

"I would have said they were boy scouts going hiking, but boy scouts don't carry guns do they?"

"No they don't and if they were boy scouts I don't like 'em hiking in by backyard."

Peters got up and headed to his radioman.

"Detlef, contact home tell 'em we got roving patrols likely headed their way." Peters ordered.

"Yes sir!" The marine replied quickly following the order.

"Wanna do anything?" Tomas asked.

"Not yet. We may have a purpose here in a minute. Let's just sit tight and see if we can look into what our friends are doing." Peters explained.

Something was afoot and Peters could feel it. He did not know what the Oseans were up to, but whatever it was, it was obviously important.

--

Voices seemed to whisper in the night and they were not comforting whispers. These whispers sounded like ominous warnings of danger and death. Athos knew the voices weren't real, but their warnings were. Naiveté was not a flaw that Athos had and he was not about to let it get the best of him. Danger and death were always around the corner. Attesting to first hand experience Athos knew that no one was immune to these universal misfortunes.

There was a bright moon in the sky, a little too bright as a matter of fact. But Athos did not take time to complain. Instead he let his eyes pace back and forth for any movements. A rabbit may have fooled him earlier, but he was sure that wouldn't happen again. The next movement would probably be something a little more threatening.

Too scared to speak, Athos' men proceeded along their patrol in silence. For some reason there was more comfort and concentrating on the tasks in front of them. These tasks consisted of looking for threats, watching the other guy's back, and most importantly make it back in one piece. They were scared out of their minds, but most of them knew that if they relied on their training and trusted Athos to lead them, then everything would be all right.

Hearing some voices Athos ordered his men prone. In less that a second they plopped onto their bellies. Heart rates started racing and breathing became an exercise. No one knew what was going but they all felt like something was going to happen. Just the mere thought of something happening scared the hell out of all of them.

Athos tried his best to look around but blades of grass were obstructing his view. But, despite this little nuance, Athos could just make out the tip of a missile. It gleamed a little in the moonlight. _Hello beautiful_.

Waiting for the voices to fade away Athos quietly pulled out his map. Carefully he plotted the missiles location with a red marker. Realizing the voices were further away than anticipated Athos looked back at Blake and motioned for him to move up. Quietly Blake crawled towards his commander

"Private, get that radio qued up." Athos ordered.

"Sir." Blake replied giving Athos the phone.

"Papa Bear, this is Spear 1, get a pen and a pad, we got something for ya."


End file.
